Tenchi Muyo!: Worlds Apart
by luckyguess
Summary: A mysterious young man who possesses a myriad of peculiar abilities is sucked into the whirlwind that is Tenchi Muyo! However, he serves to be an ingredient that attracts catastrophe. Perhaps it is the universe's way of subtracting something it feels doesn't belong... A fan fiction anchored in the OVA mythology with non-canonical characters and elements spliced into the continuity.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! is a story created by Masaki Kajishima and is property of AIC and Pioneer LDC with international distribution rights belonging to Funimation Entertainment. I do not claim ownership to any of the pre-existing characters in this story nor their backstories. This is a fan fiction written purely for entertainment purposes and not for profit. _

**Author's Note: **

Worlds Apart is a story firmly based in the OVA mythology. I am a fan of all of the Tenchi Muyo continuities for one aspect or another, so I kept the OVA events (regarded as canon) in tact, and inducted characters and events from the Tenchi Universe and Tokyo series. In effect, I've spliced continuities (sparingly). Though this is a character insertion fic, I assure you, this is not a _generic character adopts Tenchi's life_ fic. The new character is his own complex entity and serves as a stone, tossed into the lake of the Tenchi Muyo universe, for better or worse. Without further delay, I now present to you, my version of Tenchi Muyo! Thank you.

Tenchi Muyo!: Worlds Apart

**Prologue**

"He doesn't look much like a pirate." Mihoshi stated concernedly, propping her chin up in the palm of her right hand. Across from her sat her partner, Kiyone, studying the holographic images that danced on the tabletop between them. The stars served as a tranquil backdrop. Light gleamed off of Kiyone's crown of deep emerald hair through the over-sized viewport of the archive chamber.

"Well, his ship isn't registered anywhere in the galactic database which makes it illegal." Kiyone replied, studying the intangible figures in front of her with bluish-green eyes. With a swipe of her hand the hologram changed from one model of a starship to another, completely different in size and shape. "Besides, there's not even a record of this kid anywhere that I can see. No match from the fingerprint or DNA query. As far as this galaxy's concerned, he might as well have never been born. Pirate or not, there's definitely something wrong with that."

Mihoshi's eyes drifted lazily from one corner of the dimly lit room to the next, as her mind rationalized the situation of their newly acquired captive. "What if he's not from this galaxy?" She threw out. "I've never heard of Ciip— Ciip…" She shook her head in surrender. "The planet he said he's from."

"Mihoshi, are you serious?" Kiyone shot her an incredulous glance. "Do you know how many GP checkpoints he would have needed to breach to get this far? All planets in or out of our galaxy that are close enough to be traveled to or from are in the archive. There is no planet Ciipres. It's just a lie."

"But he didn't resist arrest." Reasoned Mihoshi. "I don't know. Maybe if we hear him out a little m—"

"Mihoshi," Kiyone interjected. "It's not our place either way. He's suspicious. Based on that, we have to bring him in to headquarters for further questioning. We'll let the chief decide his fate.

Mihoshi sighed as she rose slowly out of her chair before starting towards the open doorway.

"Where are you going?" Kiyone inquired.

"It'll be a little while before we get back to headquarters. He might be hungry."

Kiyone shook her head. "Don't be so indulgent on the boy just because he's attractive."

Mihoshi's face went red. "That's not—What are you—That has nothing to do with anything!" She turned and trudged out of the room as Kiyone returned to her investigative efforts.

"It's Tenchi all over again." She sighed.

**Chapter 1: The Prisoner**

Cupid laid across a bench mounted on the far wall of the holding cell, hands folded behind his head as he gazed quietly at the dimly lit light panels on the ceiling. An old-style, brown leather pilot's cap and goggles adorned his head. The faint buzz of the light barrier that held him captive was ironically soothing in an otherwise silent room. Its light-blue tint painted the small space and the soft glow mixed with his ecru colored skin to create an odd shade of indigo. Despite his current situation, he was unscathed; a meager consolation to the fact that he was so desperately lost. He turned his head in reaction to approaching footsteps. Within moments Mihoshi stepped into view on the other side of the light barrier, holding a tray of food.

Her happy blue eyes gazed down at him. Wavy, golden tresses framed her sweet bronze face. She smiled at him with a bewildering aura of innocence that existed in stark contrast to the signal of authority the gun on her hip represented.

"Hi there!" She greeted with a singsong tone and a cheerful smile. "I brought you something to eat."

She pressed a series of buttons, which caused the bottom eight inches of the light barrier to dissipate, allowing her to slide the tray through before it regenerated to its full length.

"Thanks." He replied stoically as he stood to his feet. He walked forward and reached down, retrieving the tray of food from the floor. He returned to his bench and took a seat before proceeding to sift through a sandwich she prepared for him. His face twisted with curiosity.

"What's this blue meat?"

"It's vorchlak!" Mihoshi replied enthusiastically. "You've never tasted? It's really good."

He shrugged then flung off a slice of red tomato with a flick of his wrist. It hit the surface of the barrier, making crackling sounds as it slid to the floor.

"I hate tomatoes." He explained, before taking a bite of the sandwich.

Mihoshi watched him as he ate, waiting for approval on her selection. Alas, he didn't say a word about it but took a second bite without protest, which must have counted for something. He had a youthful, handsome face. She figured he had to be about the same age as Tenchi when she first met him, maybe even younger.

"How old are you, Cupid?" She questioned.

"I'm sixteen." He replied between bites of his meal. She studied the grey and black camouflage pattern of his jumpsuit. It seemed military issued, though it wasn't of any division she could clearly recognize. She wanted to ask more about it. In fact, there were quite a few questions floating around in her head. Did he have a family? Did he attend school? Did he have any hobbies? She opted to start off with a question more relevant to the current situation.

"Kiyone says there's no planet named Ciipres. So… You are telling the truth, right?"

"Yeah." He answered, sounding a bit annoyed by the question. "That's my home planet. I didn't lie about anything. Just because you guys don't know about it doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

Mihoshi folded her arms and stroked the side of her jaw with her index finger, pondering the possibility of his assertion. "Well, we do have quite an extensive database that lists all the planets in and near this galaxy. If what you say is true, that would mean you must have traveled very, very far away. Even by space time standards."

He froze for a moment as if her words were a shock to his system. He put the rest of his sandwich down and pushed his tray of food aside on the bench. He hunched over and folded his hands before him.

"Really…" He sighed. "Then, that must mean…"

"What?" Mihoshi urged, eyes widening with concern.

He shook his head as if to doubt his own theory before saying it. "At one point, not too long before you guys stopped my ship, there was this strange black hole… It was so strong that it pulled my ship in from a good distance. I couldn't escape."

"But you must have. You're here."

"No, I'm sure of it. I was completely sucked in. For a moment there was just darkness: no sound, no nothing. I thought I was dead. And then, suddenly, everything was ok again and the black hole was gone, as if it just disappeared from around me in an instant."

He looked up at her with a question in his eyes that he seemed almost afraid to know the answer to. "Do you think maybe, somehow I was transported across galaxies through that black hole?"

Mihoshi shook her head. "I've never heard anything like that but I don't know much about science…"

"Where is my ship?" He questioned with newfound urgency.

"We have it in tow beneath ours. Don't worry, it's ok."

"I need to go. I have to figure this out. Maybe I can go back through but the further we get away from it, the harder it will be for me to find it again."

Mihoshi averted her gaze. "We… We can't release you. We have to take you to Galaxy Police headquarters. But if you tell the truth to the chief, I'm sure you'll be released at some point."

He was quiet, lowering his head in contemplation for a moment. "Actually, I can get out of here anytime I want." He said, matter-of-factly. He got up from the bench once more and walked forward until he stood a mere foot from the barrier. He was a fair bit taller than Mihoshi, his nose at even level with the crown of her head.

"No, you can't." She retorted melodically. "This gate is made to withstand a massive amount of force." She grinned, confident in her claim.

"Oh yeah?" He challenged, clinching his fists at his sides. He took a ready stance, his focus intensifying on the barrier before him.

Mihoshi's deep blue eyes went wide as she pursed her lips and cocked her head to the side in curiosity, waiting for him to do whatever it was he was gearing up to do.

Cupid looked at her face. His furrowed brow began to smooth out and his rigid stance went loose again.

"What is with you?" He questioned in a tone of capitulation. "Don't stare at me like a dim-wit. Geez, you make this so difficult…"

"What do you mean?" She questioned.

"Resisting you would be like shoving a baby. What kind of cops are you, anyway? You actually fight criminals dressed like that?" He nodded at her outfit.

Mihoshi looked down at her standard issue, form-fitting grey and blue Galaxy Police Force uniform. "What's wrong with this?"

"Are you kidding me? When you guys arrested me, I didn't know whether to put my hands up or get ready for a steamy, sensuous lap-dance."

"Excuse me?!" She exclaimed, insulted.

"I'm just saying; you're disarmingly cute." He waved a finger at her proportions. "I wouldn't wanna hurt you."

"You're pitying me?" She questioned angrily. "I can handle myself. Just admit you can't break out, don't go making excuses!"

"Excuses? I can definitely let myself out of here!"

"I don't think you would if you could. You're a good person; I can feel it. So don't do anything bad, ok?" She gazed at him sternly.

"Then let me out… Now." He glared at her intently as a final, unspoken warning.

Suddenly, explosion rocked the air as the ship jarred violently. Sirens blared along with the chaotic flash of red lights. Cupid stood solidly in place, astoundingly unmoved by the sudden jolt as Mihoshi reeled back, falling flat on her backside. She scrambled back to her feet, shaken and disoriented as she raised her gun at Cupid.

"Stop it!" She shouted, her voice aquiver.

Cupid shrugged at her, shoving his hands into his pockets. "It wasn't me."

Kiyone's voice cuts through the atmosphere via the ship's intercom. "Mihoshi, get up here, we've got pirates!"

"Shit!" Mihoshi gasped. She looked at Cupid. "Don't do anything, I have to go handle this!"

"Hey, my ship is in danger too. I'll help!" He proclaimed.

"No! It's too dangerous and besides, I don't know if you can be trusted. We can handle this. It's what we're trained for." She nodded sternly at him with reassurance before rushing off.

"Damn it, you gotta be kidding me." He groaned, looking on anxiously as she exited the detention chamber. "Pirates? If anything happens to my ship, I'll crush them…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Shanked**

Mihoshi dashed down the central corridor towards the bridge. Another blast hit the ship, throwing her awkwardly against a wall. She fell to her knees, gasping to recover the air that was knocked out of her lungs. With no time to waste, she pushed herself back onto her feet and resumed her stride. As she finally made her way to the bridge, she confronted a dreadful scene laid out on the other side of the viewport. A small fleet of malevolent warships drifted ominously around their vessel. With a quick scan of the panorama, she could see at least five of them. Kiyone sat in the captain's chair, punching frantically away at keys on the control panel, calling off the emergency alert. She glanced back, noticing her partner enter the room.

"Mihoshi, get over here!" She beckoned. "They must be here for the boy! I told you he was a pirate!"

Mihoshi rushed over to her side as Kiyone opened up a communication link with the pirates.

"This is Detective Kiyone Makibi of the Galaxy Police Force! This is a GP patrol ship. What do you think you're doing? I order you in the name of the law to cease and desist your attack!"

A holographic image imposed itself before the two officers.

"Tarant Shank!" Mihoshi gasped, recognizing the silver hair and olive skin of one of the most notoriously bloodthirsty pirates in the galaxy. The red jewel on his forehead glinted like a freshly drawn drop of blood.

"I don't think you're in any position to give orders, Detective." He replied.

"What is it you want?" Kiyone demanded. "Why are you doing this?"

"You ask 'why'? Do I need a reason?" He guffawed. "I'm a pirate. Or are you so arrogant as to think you're immune because you wear a badge? Well, I have news for you. When it comes to me, you're all just meat for the wolves. I have a pack to feed. Prepare to be boarded!"

The hull of the ship shuddered as the clank of metal on metal sounded through the interior. Within a few moments, the bay doors slid open, unleashing a flood of heavily armed pirates. Tarant Shank sauntered in behind them, ushering in an aura of malice.

"Wrong place, wrong time, huh?" He chuckled, gazing wickedly at his prey.

"This is a simple patrol ship." Kiyone reasoned as his crew relieved her and Mihoshi of their side arms at gunpoint. "We don't have anything here of significant value."

"No matter." He shrugged. "Your ship is good enough to be sold for parts on the black market." He looked around. "I take the fact that you have another ship hitched beneath you means that you have prisoners on board. How many?"

"One." Mihoshi answered. "A boy named Cupid. Do you know him?"

Tarant chuckled. "Cupid? What did you arrest him for, attempted murder with a magic love arrow?"

Laughter erupted from the other pirates.

"Ohhh… I get it!" Mihoshi exclaimed after a moment, joining in on the laughter as Kiyone groaned and shook her head. She wondered how her partner could find anything funny in a situation like this. Tarant must have shared the sentiment as he cut his cold grey eyes at Mihoshi contemptuously.

"Shut up!" He snarled, prompting her to immediately end her giggle fit.

"So, my brothers…" He said, turning back to his men. "What should we do with these two piglets?"

"I can think of a few things, Boss." One replied, making kissy faces at Kiyone, which made her look away in disgust.

Tarant chuckled. "So, that's how it is, huh? Alright then, I'll let you have your way with them before they're disposed of. Trevik, Gungja…" He flagged two of his men: a Humanoid and a Wau. "Take them to the holding cell for now. You know the rule: business before pleasure."

This garnered another round of chuckles from the pirate crew.

"You guys are sick…" Kiyone murmured angrily as she was ushered out of the bridge at gunpoint by one pirate, Mihoshi prodded on by the other. "You won't get away with this, Tarant." She vowed. "I've already sent out a distress signal. More GP officers are coming."

"And if they actually gather up the balls," He replied as she left the room. "I'll blow them straight into the next galaxy."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Three in The Chamber**

Cupid stood in his cell, leaning impatiently against a wall. He decided that if he didn't hear anything from Mihoshi and Kiyone in the next five minutes, he'd release himself from his confines regardless of Mihoshi's instruction. Before long, he could hear the familiar sound of the detention chamber door sliding open, followed by approaching footsteps. Only this time there seemed to be a lot more than he'd become accustomed to hearing. He pushed himself off of the wall and stepped forward to meet whoever was coming. Kiyone and Mihoshi stepped into view on the other side of the barrier with two men behind them, jabbing pistols into their spines. Cupid was suddenly taken aback with shock. However, it wasn't quite so much over the predicament of the officers as it was the appearance of one of their captors.

"What… the… hell?" He muttered gazing narrow-eyed at Gungja.

"Hey, look Trevik." Gungja chuckled. "I guess he's not a naked little baby with wings after all."

"Yeah, you'll have to excuse my appearance." Replied Cupid. "I wasn't aware we were having a costume party. It's a little embarrassing seeing as you're all decked out in your mutt mask."

"What did you say, punk?!" Barked Gungja.

"Seriously, what's up with your face?" Cupid questioned, staring intensely with genuine wonder.

Trevik laughed. "I don't think this kid's ever seen a Wau before. Unbelievable!"

Gungja growled at Cupid. "Yeah? Well, he better shut the fuck up before I make sure he can't go anywhere without someone asking **him** what's up with **his** face!"

"Open the gate!" Trevik commanded, poking Kiyone hard in the back. She complied, punching a code into the panel that triggered the release of the barrier. The pirates shoved Kiyone and Mihoshi into the cell unceremoniously.

"Now to beat some manners into this jerk!" Declared Gungja, taking a step toward Cupid. Trevik grabbed a hold of his shoulder, stopping him.

"Hold on! The boss wanted us to drop these bitches off and come right back. They'll be time for that later."

Gungja growled under his breath. "Alright. But this is gonna happen, kid. Believe that!"

"Lookin' forward to it, Man-Mutt." Cupid replied with a two-fingered salute. Losing his last shred of temper, Gungja lunged for Cupid just as Trevik pressed the button to reactivate the barrier. It regenerated in a split instant causing Gungja to slam his own face vigorously against it. He stumbled back, cupping his nose with both hands as he yelped in pain.

"What the hell are you doing, you idiot?" Trevik griped. "Get your shit together! What part of 'later' don't you understand?" He corralled Gungja down the hallway until they could no longer be seen nor heard from the within the cell.

Mihoshi, Kiyone, and Cupid traipsed over to the bench on the far end of the cell and plopped down in unison. After sitting for nearly a minute, Cupid broke the awkward silence.

"Sandwich?" He offered, raising a tray of unfinished food in Kiyone's direction. She replied by smacking it out of his grip, sending it rolling all over the floor.

"Nice." He retorted.

"Kiyone's just upset about the situation." Mihoshi offered, apologetically.

"Quiet." Kiyone interjected. "I'm not upset about anything. I'm sure backup is on the way."

"Are you really sure?" Mihoshi questioned, timidly. "This is Tarant Shank's fleet. They might deem it a suicide mission."

Kiyone lowered her gaze in contemplation for a moment. "We have to have faith in that. What other choice do we have right now?"

Cupid sighed. "I tried to play by your rules but it looks like all of that's out the window now." He stood up from the bench. "So, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go kick some pirate ass."

"That's nonsense." Kiyone cautioned. "There's eight of them on the bridge, not to mention the fleet of ships surrounding us. Even if we managed to regain control of this ship, we'd never be able to escape!"

"I know." He concurred. "That's why we need to thin out the fleet first." He walked toward the barrier of blue light.

"Are you daft?" Kiyone stood up in objection. "How can we possibly do that? How would we even break out of this—"

Before she could finish her round of inquiry, Cupid lunged forward and smashed his forehead against the barrier with insurmountable force. An explosion of neon blue particles filled the air. When it all dissipated, the barrier was gone.

Wide-eyed and mouth gaped open, Kiyone let out a sharp burst of air from her lungs, remembering that she needed to breath.

"Holy shit!" Mihoshi blurted out, which was about the appropriate reaction for Kiyone if she could manage words at that moment. Cupid looked back over his shoulder at the two.

"Listen, I'm gonna start taking out some of their ships. I'll create a distraction on the way out. It should be enough so that you two can handle what's left of the pirates here."

"Handle them with what?" Kiyone implored. "They took our guns!"

"Do I have to think of everything? You're cops. Figure it out. By the way, you're gonna want to hold on to something."

"Wha—"

Before anymore could be said, Cupid disappeared before their eyes and within the same moment, a paroxysm of chaos erupted throughout the ship followed by a violent whoosh of air that snatched Kiyone and Mihoshi through the doorway of their cell.

Kiyone reached out, catching the edge of the doorway with her hands as she was sucked out. Mihoshi was already completely out of the cell, grasping onto a handle on the wall of the chamber.

"Whaaaaat's happeniiiiiiing?!" Mihoshi screamed, her body flailing through the squall like a flag in a hurricane.

Kiyone gazed toward the exit of the detention chamber, which from her current position was down beneath her. The door was demolished as if something burst through too fast for it to slide out of the way. As she looked further down through the central corridor beyond the doorway, she could vaguely witness the scene unfolding on the bridge. Bodies were being sucked into the vacuum of space through a shattered viewport. It suddenly occurred to her that the force pulling at her and Mihoshi was due to the rapid depressurization of the ship.

Within another moment, the ship's emergency countermeasures kicked in, prompting shutters to slide into place over the decimated viewport. Kiyone and Mihoshi dropped to the floor as pressure normalized.

"Whoa, that was scary." Said Mihoshi, regaining her bearings.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Kiyone agreed. She pushed herself up onto her feet. "We can't relax yet. We need to use this opportunity to take back control of the ship while everyone's panicked."

"Right!" Mihoshi concurred, pulling herself up by the handle she was previously dangling from. "Let's do this!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: What We're Trained For**

"What the fuck just happened?!" Tarant Shank demanded from what remained of his entourage as he struggled to stand up. Pain surged through his ribcage as a consequence of the beating he took from flying debris.

"I don't know, Boss." Trevik replied, limping sluggishly toward Tarant. "It's like… The window just exploded. I didn't see anything hit it."

There on the bridge of the ship, only Tarant, Trevik, and Gungja remained. The rest of their group were presumably floating somewhere within the infinite drift of space.

Gungja stumbled out of a corner, holding his head. "Geez, I think I have a concussion. My head hurts so damn bad…"

"Quit your whining, Gungja." Tarant ordered. "You're really sounding like a bitch right now."

"But I think my skull might be fractured."

"I said shut up!" Tarant raised his hand to strike Gungja but was interrupted by the chime of the communicator on his wrist. "Come in." He answered, speaking into the communicator. Screams of pain and terror could be heard from the other end of the transmission.

"Captain, this is Barjeet! We're under attack!"

"What?! By who?"

"I don't know. It's happening from the inside. We're taking heavy damage!" An explosion sounded off in the background. "W-wait a minute. I see it… It's… It's a person! He's ripping through the—" Communications were severed abruptly before he could finish.

"Barjeet! Can you hear me?" Tarant turned to Trevik, his face twisted with frustration. "Switch on the viewscreen function!"

Trevik ran over to the control panel and pressed a few keys. An image of the ship's surroundings filled the space across the viewport shutters. An explosion could be seen bursting through the hull of one of the ships belonging to the pirate fleet followed by another explosion in a different part of the hull. This continued on in sequence in random quadrants of the vessel until finally, its exterior lights sputtered out as the ship let out a long mechanical sigh, signaling the failure of its engines.

"Come in!" Tarant shouted into his communicator, panicked. "Barjeet, are you there?" There was no response. "Shit!"

"D-did you see that?" Gungja said, spiraling into panic. "We're all gonna die! And my head… My head hurts so bad!" He grasped at his skull. "I gotta get out of here! I gotta get out of heeeeere!" He bolted toward the central corridor. Just as he neared the doorway, Mihoshi entered the room with a flying leap, pounding an empty food tray down on his dome. A high-pitched yelp escaped his throat before he collapsed to the floor, twitching and drooling.

"Hii-yah!" Mihoshi let out a battle cry. "I came in like a ninja on that ass!"

Kiyone rushed in behind her, snatching up the gun from the incapacitated pirate's hip.

"Kill these pests!" Tarant ordered as he and Trevik opened fire. Kiyone and Mihoshi split off, evading laser bolts. Mihoshi dove behind a chair as Kiyone took cover behind a navigation console and fired a few rounds at the pirates. Tarant and Trevik ducked behind a small partition at the center of the bridge. Laser fire volleyed back and forth through the room.

"I can't get a good shot, Boss!" Trevik shouted.

"Then run out and get closer!" Tarant commanded.

"No way, I don't wanna die!"

"That one over there doesn't even have a gun, you moron! Just run up and blast her in the face!"

"OK…" Trevik sat down for a moment with his back against the partition. He closed his eyes and let out a long, nervous sigh of air. "Here I go…" He sprung up and started dashing for the chair Mihoshi was huddled behind.

"Waaahh!" Mihoshi panicked as she spotted him sprinting toward her. On reflex, she tossed the food tray she held in her hand at him. It fell short and landed on the floor in front of him. He stepped on it mid-dash and went sailing through the air as his foot slipped out from under him. His back hit the floor with a bone-wrenching impact.

He sat up, dazed and disoriented, groaning in pain. His vision locked onto the gun he dropped on his way down and he immediately scrambled to his feet to retrieve it. Kiyone used the opportunity to fire a few shots at him and Trevik took two to the chest before collapsing on his face.

"Nice one, Mihoshi!" Kiyone cheered, which her partner acknowledged with an awkward chuckle, out of guilt for her dumb luck.

Tarant let out an angry growl through his clenched teeth after witnessing the folly of his fallen henchmen. Mihoshi retrieved Trevik's gun and now both officers sent a rain of fire at Tarant. Ducking shots, he spoke into the communicator on his wrist again. "Attention all ships! This is Captain Tarant Shank…" He paused, reluctant to let the next words out of his mouth. "Prepare to retreat!"

He reached into a pouch on his vest, pulled out a small cylindrical device and tossed it in the air. It exploded, filling the room with a vibrant, blinding light.

"Ugh! It's a flash-bang!" Cried Kiyone, guarding her eyes with her sleeve. After a few moments, the room dimmed to its normal brightness. She peeked around to find that Tarant had evacuated the scene. The hull of the ship shook slightly, signaling the undocking of Tarant's ship. On the viewscreen, battleships were taking off into hyperspace one after another, save for the one that was put out of commission.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Lost In Space**

Kiyone let out a sigh of relief. "We actually made it." She looked over at her partner. "Mihoshi, you ok?"

"Right as rain!" Mihoshi replied, cheerily, still rubbing at her eyes. "I can't wait to tell the guys back at HQ that we went toe to toe with Tarant Shank and won!"

Kiyone laughed at Mihoshi's excitement. "Yeah, you were awesome, Mihoshi."

Their moment of satisfaction was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the hull of the ship. The officers went silent.

"What's that?" Mihoshi questioned, rigidly alert.

"I don't know." Kiyone replied before rushing over to the control panel. She punched in a few keys, which brought up an external view of the ship on the viewscreen. There stood Cupid, his feet planted firmly on the side of the ship as if gravity—or the lack thereof didn't hold him to the same laws as everyone else.

"What the… How is he-?"

"Hurry and let him in, Kiyone." Mihoshi urged.

Kiyone triggered the airlock release. After a minute, the bay door slid open and Cupid wandered onto the bridge.

"I'm impressed." He stated, looking around at their defeated adversaries. "I thought I'd have to take out more than one ship but you guys sent them packing. You must have kicked some ass in here!" His face brightened up as he noticed the identity of the pirate near the central corridor. "Hey look! Who beat up Man-Mutt?"

"I did!" Mihoshi cheered, raising her hand high and proud. "I told you, this is what we're trained for." She winked and gave a thumbs-up.

Kiyone looked at him, accusingly. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" He asked, innocently.

"Don't play stupid. How did you take out that ship the way you did?"

He looked away from her. "I can do things, ok?" He answered reluctantly. "I suppose this is about the time where you start treating me like some kind of monster."

Kiyone was taken aback by his reaction. Her expression softened. "No, of course not." She said reassuringly. "In fact, we know people like you."

"Really?" He looked at her, dubiously.

"Yep!" Mihoshi chimed in, merrily. "We hang out with a pretty wild bunch."

"Then you're not afraid of me?"

"No." Kiyone answered. "Though you did tear up our ship. That's worth a few extra charges on the police report."

"Kiyone..." Mihoshi chided. "He saved us."

Kiyone conceded. "That, he did." She sighed. "Alright kid, you're free to go."

Cupid flashed her a mischievous grin. "Not that you could have taken me in anyway, but yeah, thanks."

"Be gracious about it, you brat!" She retorted.

"So, where are you headed?" Mihoshi questioned.

He thought about it. "I don't know. I can't remember where that black hole was. Not that going through it again was a great plan…"

Kiyone proposed an idea. "Galaxy Police ships are equipped with the most accurate interplanetary charts anywhere. If we sync the saved coordinates in your ship's computer to ours, maybe we can help locate your planet."

Hope returned in Cupid's expression. "Sure, that sounds like a good plan!"

She went to the console. "Here, type in the code to your ship's database. I'll access it remotely." Cupid walked over and put in a sequence of numbers.

"Ok, this should only take a moment." Kiyone declared as she took over the keypad. Soon, a list of previously traveled coordinates from Cupid's ship filled the screen.

"There, that's the one." Cupid pointed towards the top of the list. "Those are the coordinates to Ciipres."

"Are you sure?" Kiyone questioned suspiciously, recognizing the numbers. "That's actually not too far to travel from here by ship, but…"

Kiyone selected the coordinates and the screen produced a slowly spinning holographic image of a blue and green planet.

"That's it!" Cupid exclaimed with relief. "That's my home planet, Ciipres. And you said it didn't exist." He scoffed.

"Cupid, that's not Ciipres." Mihoshi stated, solemnly.

"What are you talking about?" He questioned in confusion. "I can even recognize the continents. Of course it's Ciipres."

"No, you must be mistaken." Kiyone affirmed. "That planet… It's called Earth."

Cupid looked hard at the rotating image. "What?..."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Cupid and Carrot Cake**

Beneath the cloud-garnished blue sky, a festival was taking place on Earth in a city called Okayama. The cool summer breeze carried with it the sweet aroma of spices as vendors sold a variety of vegetable themed dishes from their kiosks. The sound of music and chatter filled the streets, people wandering with cheer and excitement to witness the events taking place left and right. Visions of tomatoes, carrots, and string beans bobbed through the crowd, as children clasped playfully to the tethers of their veggie-shaped balloons.

Cupid sat at a table in the festival food court, lost in deep thought in the company of his carrot cake and cucumber tea. Three days had passed since he breached the atmosphere of Earth. In his mind, he still struggled to come to terms with the fact that this planet was not his own. He found that it was so much in parallel to the world he knew; there was even a Japan on his planet. Strangely, the geographical layout of Earth and the names of its continents and countries were nearly identical to Ciipres.

During his first two days on Earth, Cupid traveled in search of people he knew from home. There was no trace of his family when looking in the places they should have been. He even searched for people he was loosely connected to and to his surprise, actually found one; a man named Garai Hotep. Hotep was an engineer, partly responsible for the design of Cupid's ship, the Sadasira. However, when Cupid approached him, Hotep behaved as if they had never met before. When Cupid mentioned the ship, Hotep looked at him strangely, cited that he was merely a grocery store manager, and ran away.

It was apparent that while some people from Ciipres existed on Earth, in some form, there were many who did not. Before heading for Earth, Kiyone and Mihoshi told him he should go to Okayama and visit the Masaki residence. They believed that if there were answers as to why he was here and how to get back, someone there would be able to help him. He was reluctantly working his way to it, which is why he was currently in Okayama. However, as fascinating as the situation was, he wanted to explore first. Okayama was a quaint place but exceptionally primitive. He wondered skeptically how anyone with an ounce of knowledge about how to reverse his scenario could be found in a place like this.

At least the food was good, he thought to himself as he spooned a piece of carrot cake. Just as it reached his open mouth, he heard a high-pitched moan. Slightly startled, he turned his attention to what seemed to be a furry little girl staring back at him like a lost puppy. An unruly grey and white mane cascaded past her tiny shoulders. Long, fuzzy ears protruded from the sides of her brown face, and a small red jewel ornamented the center of her hairline. She wore a white collared, sky-blue gown, which stopped at her ankles. Her appearance came as a surprise to Cupid; there certainly weren't any beings such as this on Ciipres.

None-the-less, her adorability was near lethal. Her big yellow eyes peered at him with a forlorn gaze that melted away at his already mild resistance toward the female gender.

"Miyaa..."

There was that sound again. Though he couldn't make sense from it, he could tell she was pleading for something.

"Um... You lost, little girl?" he inquired.

"Miyaa, miyaa." The girl replied, nodding her head. She then began to rub her belly as her face grimaced. "Miyaaa." She said once more, long and pleadingly with her vision locked on his carrot cake.

"Oh... So that's what you want?"

What a pitiful sight; she seemed to be starving. Though Cupid could feel his own stomach growling, he couldn't think of himself before a helpless child.

"Ok, here you go. It's all yours." he pushed his plate to the opposite side of the table and the strange little girl hopped onto the seat across from him gleefully before wolfing the cake down, unconcerned with the use of utensils.

"So..." Cupid began, gawking in amazement of her appetite. "You really like carrot cake, huh?"

"Miyaaa!" the girl paused to say between chomps as she ravaged the plate. Cupid began to worry that she might choke the way she was throwing cake in her face but before he could advise her to chew, she had already finished it off. With that, she sat back and let out a sigh of satisfaction.

"Happy?" Cupid grinned.

"Miyaa, miyaa!" she replied cheerfully.

"You know, you really shouldn't take food from strangers. Luckily for you, I'm a good guy." He looked about, scanning the crowd for anyone he supposed might share her fluffy aesthetics. "I guess I better help you get found; on account of the whole good guy theme."

He stood from his chair and she hopped down from hers.

"By the way," He said, looking down at her. "My name's Cupid. What's yours?"

"Miyaa."

"Eh... Should have guessed you were gonna say that." he responded. "I guess we'll have to do this the hard way. Are your parents somewhere in the festival?"

She shook her head in denial.

"What? So, you came here by yourself?"

She nodded in affirmation.

"That wasn't too—" He suddenly recalled how he was in the midst of his own solitary exploration. "Ah well, I'm not one to lecture. Just try to be careful. You do actually have parents, right?"

She nodded her head once more.

"Ok, that's a start! Do you know which direction your house is?"

"Mmm..." She touched her index finger to her lips in contemplation. "Miyaa!" She confirmed finally with a nod.

"Good. Now we're getting somewhere. Let's get going." He put his hand out and the little girl took hold, leading him along. Realizing this would likely distract him from his own goals for a while, he reconciled it with the thought that he surely couldn't let a little lost girl with a speech impediment wander the streets alone.

Not ten steps into his new found quest began the sound of people shouting in terror. Cupid gazed far off until his eyes came across something bizarre. "There's just no way…" He gasped, wide eyed. "Is this part of the festival or something?" There in the distance, two seventy-foot vegetables towered over a fleeing crowd of people. More alarming than that, they had humanoid appendages and faces with menacing expressions.

"Miyaaa!" The little girl screamed in horror as she wrapped her arms tightly around Cupid's leg.

As if triggered by Cupid's gaze, both creatures shot an incensed stare his way simultaneously. In the next instant, they launched themselves high into the air. Cupid quickly scooped the little girl off her feet and vaulted back just as the monsters came plummeting down where they were standing. The impact rocked the ground as the giants hammered their fists into the pavement, sending dust and debris everywhere.

Cupid landed eighty yards back, him and the girl unscathed in their escape. He placed her back down onto her feet and shot an observant glare at the monsters, wondering if the attack was just a coincidence or if he had really just been chosen out of a crowd of hundreds of people. The monsters let out a horrifying roar. He held onto the little girl's hand protectively as a wave of terrified festivalgoers swept by. Suddenly a pudgy farmer in blue coveralls grabbed Cupid by the collar of his jumpsuit.

"Run for it, kid!" The man shouted, his hot breath assaulting Cupid's nostrils between each word as he gasped for air. "Special fertilizer! Never thought... Such evil! It was a mistake, you gotta believe me!" He raved on, yanking Cupid violently by the threads of his clothing.

"What the hell are you going on about?!" Cupid demanded, tugging away desperately. "And could you please get out my face? There's an invention called mints you need to see about."

"No time to explain!" Answered the farmer. "Just head for the hills!"

"Are you saying you're responsible for this?" Cupid asked, knocking the man's hands away.

"I—I don't know." He replied anxiously adjusting the spectacles on his face. "But I'm trying to save your ass, stupid. Run!"

"I'm not running." Cupid protested. "Someone has to clean up your mess and I guess it has to be me."

"Yeah, right!" The farmer replied, dubiously. "You couldn't even clean up one of those monster's turds!"

"What?!" Cupid exclaimed angrily, raising his fist. The farmer reacted with a cowardly yelp as he threw his arms up in front of his face.

Cupid digressed out of pity and turned to the little girl. "I gotta take care of this." He nodded.

"Miya…" She replied sadly with concern in her expression.

"I'll be ok." He assured her. "Just go with the fat man for now." He looked over at the farmer, untrustingly. "Not too far though, he looks like a suspect pervert."

"Hey!" The farmer retorted in protest. "You're the one strolling around the festival holding a little girl's hand!"

Cupid's face went flush. "Should I bash you in the teeth now?" He offered, solemnly.

"Uh, no-no, of course not." The farmer chuckled nervously, waving his hands in surrender before turning to the little girl. "Come on, sweetheart, uncle Taki will keep an eye on you while your friend gets his beat-down."

The girl skipped off behind the farmer as he jogged hurriedly away from the scene. Cupid looked on in irritation. "What an id—" Abruptly, a colossal green fist came striking down at him, mid-sentence. A cloud of rocks and dirt went bursting through the air on impact, as the area rumbled with explosion.

The little girl cried out in panic as she watched Cupid take on the brunt of the attack. Her eyes began to well up with tears. "Miyaa..." She whimpered in sorrow of her new friend's demise.

"Man..." The farmer sighed, scratching at his wispy, rat-whisker mustache. "All that talk and nothing to show for it. I tried to warn him."

Suddenly, he noticed a figure in the mist of the clearing dust. Cupid stood firmly amongst the rubble of annihilated pavement, holding the giant's fist at bay with the palm of his left hand. The farmer's jaw dropped at the sight of this. "He's some kind of freak!"

The little girl sounded off her relief with a round of spirited meows.

The cucumber colossus desperately pounded its heavy fists into the hand of its challenger, unable to budge him.

"Weak." Cupid stated impassively, taking hold of the monster's fist with both hands and ripping off the whole extent of its right arm with one tug before tossing it aside. It hit the ground with a heavy thud that shook the earth. Juice spewed as the cucumber let out a roar of pain. Its remaining arm slammed down toward Cupid like a sledgehammer, missing its mark as the young man vaulted out of its trajectory. The monster looked about, but Cupid was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, Cupid dropped from the sky, landing onto the giant cucumber's head.

He clinched his fist and a ball of light formed around it as energy gathered. In the next moment, he lunged his fist down into the dome of the cucumber, causing the upper half of its body to explode. Its lower half toppled over unceremoniously and Cupid dropped to the ground beside it, green slush raining down around him.

The young man gazed up wickedly at the celery, licking cucumber juice from the back of his hand. The creature stepped back in horror of what it just witnessed. In a haze of fear and confusion, it turned and bolted, its long strides pacing thirty meters at a time.  
Cupid stood there, watching it make its escape.

"Well?!" The farmer shouted from afar. "Are you just gonna let it get away?!"

The creature was about a mile away now. Cupid put the tip of his index finger to his tongue and raised it into the wind. He then rubbed his hands together until an orb of light formed between them. In the next instant, he hurled the orb into the air. It sailed up, arched and descended, nailing the celery dead center on its leafy top. Green chunks could be seen flying up in the horizon.

All at once, the crowd of festivalgoers let out a roar of applause, running over to sweep Cupid off of his feet. Hoisted up on the shoulders of the chanting masses, Cupid scanned the crowd until his eyes met with the little girl's adoring face and in return he smiled in her direction.

"All the carrot cake you can eat, kid!" He shouted toward her. "The fat man is paying!"

"Miyaaa!" The girl rejoiced in approval.

As the farmer contemplated escaping the scene, he had a vision of himself sprinting into the horizon, a ball of light arching down after him, and chunks flying into the air.

"Damn it…" He groaned, his body slumping in surrender.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: No Need for Cupid's Arrow**

"So this is your place, huh?" Cupid looked about as he and the little girl approached a broad, wooden gate at the end of a dirt path. The steep red roof of a large house peeked out from the distance beyond the gate. The area was very remote, surrounded by lush, tall trees and mountains. The smell of fresh lake water wafted in the breeze as birds sung their serenade along to the rhythm of leaves in the wind.

"This seems nice." He said as he closed his eyes and lifted his face to the cool breeze. The house was a few miles from the village. About half way there, Cupid began to wonder whether or not the little girl actually knew her way. Flying would have been a lot quicker but after the calamity at the festival, Cupid thought it best not to risk more attention from the locals. This is not to say that the hike was unpleasant by any means. He and the girl got to have a pretty deep conversation about... Well, Cupid wasn't quite sure what but he pretended to understand so that he wouldn't hurt her feelings.

"What are these things?" He wondered, walking toward one of the ten-foot tall calligraphy inscribed wooden logs that flanked the entrance of the gate. One was painted with the color red, the other blue. There were odd, round lenses embedded at the top of their facades. As he reached out to touch one, a voice rang out, causing him to retract his hand in reaction.

"Hello Ryo-Ohki, welcome home. Sasami has been worried sick about you."

"Miyaa..." Replied the little girl as she hung her head apologetically.

"What?" Cupid questioned, scanning the area for the voice's origin. "Who  
said that?"

"I did." answered the voice.

"Where?"

"Here" The voice responded, becoming increasingly irate.

A rustling bush near the path caught Cupid's attention. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Look, I see something moving around over there, so why don't you just come on out and stop playing?" He folded his arms in front of his chest, waiting a few moments for the perpetrator to show itself. "Come on now, talk to me face to face like a man!"

"First of all, I don't have a face, so that would be quite a difficult task, don't you think?" This time, he was certain the voice came from directly behind him. He turned toward the log once more.

"What is this, some sort of intercom?" He paced about, eying it cautiously.

"We are Asake and Kamidake, guardians of this residence and royal guards to Princess Ayeka Jurai." The blue log stated. "Who might you be?"

Their introduction leaving him all the more confused, he reluctantly gave his name in return. "I'm Cupid." A long moment of silence followed. Cupid gawked at the logs curiously, wondering if he'd said something wrong.

"Where's your magic bow and arrow?" the pillar replied finally, snickering.

"Oh my God..." Cupid rolled his eyes, pressing the palm of his hand against his face. "Why does everyone think that's funny?" Suddenly remembering that he saw movement in the bushes a moment ago, he turned back toward it. "I wonder what that was..." He walked over and kicked the shrub lightly. Nothing happened so he kicked it harder. This time a big raccoon jumped out onto his chest, hissing and screeching. "Holy shit, get it off me!" He snatched it off his body and spiked it to the ground before it went scurrying into the woods. Huffing and puffing, he turned around to see the little girl and the two logs staring at him shamefully.

"You sure brought a strange one back with you, Ryo-Ohki." observed Kamidake.

"Hey, that could've happened to anyone!" retorted Cupid, embarrassed. "Y-you saw the size of that damn thing. It was like a bear with a mask on!"

The three gawked at him in awkward silence. Cupid started to consider the incident an omen that it was time to go. "So… Ryo-Ohki, is it?" He walked over and kneeled before the furry little girl, rubbing the top of her head.

"Miya." She answered with a nod.

"You're home safe and sound now. I just hope these two things aren't your parents or you're gonna be in for some counseling when you grow up..." He stared into her eyes, regretfully. "I guess this is the end of the line for us."

"Miyaa..." Ryo-Ohki gazed back at him, sadly.

"I think she wants you to stay for a bit." said Kamidake. "Although I don't think it's a wise idea. You're quite odd."

"Compared to whom in this household?" Asake interjected.

"Now that you put it that way, he's not such a severe case." replied Kamidake. "Ok Ryo-Ohki, we'll permit him to enter. But we're not responsible for what happens to him past this point." With that, the gates swung open. Happy to hear the approval, Ryo-Oki grabbed Cupid's hand and tugged him toward the yard.

"Wait a minute." Protested Cupid, not sure if he wanted to delve any deeper into the proverbial rabbit hole. "I don't know if I should. I like you too but it might be best for us to part ways now."

Ryo-Ohki shot him another pleading look. "Miya."

"No, we're not doing this again." He said sternly, turning his nose up at her pitiful expression.

"Miya." Her eyes welled up, threatening to unleash a flood of biblical proportions.

"Aw, man. Come on, look what you're doing." He sighed dejectedly. "Ok... But just for a couple minutes, then I'm off, alright?"

Ryo-Ohki enthusiastically agreed and continued to lead him to the yard. On the other side of the gate, they were met with a long path, which winded around a vast blue lake. The house that was visible from the other side of the gate rested at the end of the trail, secluded by a forest of trees, which served as its backdrop. On the far side of the lake, there was a trail leading up the mountain to a shrine. Cupid looked around in awe of the tranquil ambience of the residence. He wanted to stop and walk along the wooden pier that led out onto the lake but Ryo-Ohki pulled impatiently at his arm. When they reached the front door, she rang the bell, racked with anxious glee.

After a few moments, Cupid could hear the sound of locks unhinging. The brass knob twisted to the right and finally, the front door swung open. As Cupid's eyes gazed upon the face of the person on the other side, time seemed to slow down. The lake breeze met her misty blue locks, sending them in a flurry before her hypnotic carnation colored eyes. As he looked upon her pure angelic face, all at once, Cupid's heart overflowed with hope.

Surprised by his presence, she stood gazing back at him with a bewildered expression. Feeling the weight of the awkward moment bear down on him, Cupid managed the one simple word his jumbled thoughts would allow.

"Hi."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: ****No Need for Matchmakers**

Inside the house, Cupid, Ryo-Ohki, and Sasami sat in the living room, drinking tea as they got acquainted. The three of them were seated upon a black leather sectional sofa. Sasami was not at all expecting Ryo-Ohki to bring home a visitor today. She wanted to be angry with her for going to the Farmer's Harvest Festival alone but she couldn't bring herself to scold her in the presence of Cupid.

She didn't know why she felt so timid around the new visitor. She looked up from her cup of tea to the opposite side of the coffee table where Ryo-Ohki rested happily next to Cupid. When his eyes met with hers, he grinned politely, which caused Sasami's face to feel flushed with warmth. Overcome by shyness, she quickly returned her eyes to her cup of tea, hoping he didn't notice.

"So, um, how old are you?" She asked nervously, in an attempt to break through the awkward silence.

"I'm sixteen." He replied. "How about you?"

"Oh, I'm sixteen too!" She announced a little more happily than she had intended. "But my birthday is in a month." She adjusted her tone with a little more composure. "So, I guess that makes me a little older than you." She taunted.

He laughed. "Sounds like you're gloating."

"Maybe a little." She replied with a giggle.

Ryo-Ohki decided to entertain Cupid with a song. He watched on sportingly as she danced along to her little tune. As light shone through the glass-paneled wall behind him, Sasami noticed that his hair, which was mostly covered with a pilot's cap and goggles, was dark brown under the glow of the sun. The curls that just escaped the edges of his cap matched his eyes.

As Ryo-Ohki finished her song, Cupid applauded, which made her very happy. Sasami realized that Ryo-Ohki seemed to adore Cupid at a level comparable to her admiration for Tenchi.

"Ryo-Ohki, don't keep making Cupid think you're a baby." Sasami playfully lectured. "Show him your real age."

Cupid gave her a muddled look. "What do you mean?" He looked back at Ryo-Ohki, figuring she couldn't be more than three or four.

"I'm sorry." Sasami explained, a little embarrassed. "Ryo-Ohki has a habit of taking on her toddler form whenever she meets someone new. She feels it's easier for her to make friends that way. In actuality, she's about eleven. Right, Ryo-Ohki?"

"Miya…" The little girl replied, repentantly.

"Well, go on then; show him." Sasami chided on.

Suddenly, in a burst of smoke billows, Ryo-Ohki transformed from a toddler into a preteen.

"Miya!" She crooned in a voice that sounded sultrier than it did a moment ago. She lunged forward, hugging Cupid affectionately. The gown she wore was still the same size it was in her toddler form, now clinging snugly to her body, its length ending just below her chest. Beneath her waist, she wore nothing more than a pair of powder-blue panties. Apparently, she was an early bloomer as Cupid could clearly feel a developing pair of breasts mashed up against his shoulder.

He slipped out of her embrace and dove to the other end of the couch, shocked and confused. "What the hell?!"

Sasami's face went red with shock and embarrassment. "I'm sorry! I forgot that her clothes don't transform with her!"

Ryo-Ohki shot baffled glances back and forth at the two, totally immune to any sense of self-consciousness about her scantily clad body. As she hunched over an arm of the sofa, cleavage peeked out of her top.

"Oh God!" Sasami cried out in utter mortification. "Ryo-Ohki, turn into a Cabbit!"

"Miya!" She retorted in refusal, shaking her head fervently.

Sasami was flustered by her impertinence. "Don't you realize you're indecent?!" She implored. "Do as I say!"

Peeved, Ryo-Ohki blew her a raspberry before complying. In a puff of smoke, she vanished. Her gown and undergarment were left lying in a jumbled pile upon the hardwood floor as something twitched from beneath. Cupid sat up, peering at the heap curiously. Suddenly, a small creature hopped out of the pile and landed in his lap. It was a grey, cotton-tailed critter with long ears, a little pink nose, and familiar yellow eyes. A red jewel was nestled in the fur of its forehead.

"Ryo-Ohki?" Cupid called out, prudently.

"Miya!" The little cat-rabbit answered.

"I'm so sorry." Sasami apologized. "This is Ryo-Ohki's true form. She's a cabbit."

"A… cabbit?" He repeated, incredulously as he stared at Ryo-Ohki with an expression of wonderment.

Sasami looked at Cupid solemnly. "This was a terrible first impression…" She stated. "You must think we're the weirdest people you've ever seen."

"No." He reached out and gently tousled the fur behind Ryo-Ohki's ears. "I think you're adorable." he stated before looking up at Sasami and smiling. Sasami smiled back. They gazed at each other for a moment, this time, neither one flinching. Just then, Ayeka wandered into the room, wrapped in an elegant pink kimono.

"What's taking my Tenchi so long?" She questioned, anxiously. Why'd he have to go off looking for that carrot munching…Wait a minute." Her head did a double take as she noticed Ryo-Ohki in Cupid's lap. "You're back? And who is this?" She inquired of the young man with her crimson eyes full of intrigue.

"My name's Cupid. I-."

Cupid ceased his introduction at the bizarre sight of Ayeka's lips curling up in a big, wide grin. Whatever thoughts were brewing in her mind, it freaked him out.

"I know what's happening here…" She started on in a jubilant tone of accusation. "Sasami, you found a boyfriend! My little sister's finally grown up!"

Sasami never blushed so hard in her life. "Ayeka!" She screamed. "We just met! I can't believe you said that!" Sasami sprung up from the sofa totally humiliated and ran upstairs to her room.

"Oh." Ayeka offered as her only response.

In the midst of the profoundly awkward moment, Cupid decided it was a good time to make his exit.

"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you." He said to Sasami's older sibling, rising from his seat.

"I'm sorry about that." Ayeka stated, sweeping the bangs of her violet hair aside with her fingers. "It seems my sister is a little shy when it comes to such things and I suppose I could have handled that a bit more tactfully."

"It's ok. I should be going anyway." He smiled graciously before taking a step toward the exit. Within a fraction of a moment, she crossed the distance between them, blocking his path. Cupid was taken aback by her swiftness.

"You will come back to court her, right?" She questioned, sounding more like an insistence than an inquiry. She noticed the wide-eyed expression strewn across Cupid's face. Realizing the intensity of her tone, she chuckled. "No pressure, it's just that you make such a cute couple."

"I-I don't know." Cupid replied, feeling the pressure bear down on him despite her disclaimer. "I'm not even sure how long I'll be in town."

"What are you, some kind of love hobo?"

"Um… No?" Cupid replied, stunned by the outlandish accusation.

"So, you don't travel from town to town, making young girls fall in love with you before leaving them standing among the broken pieces of what used to be their hearts?"

Cupid sighed. "Talk about drama… No, of course I don't do that."

"Then it is pertinent that you stay and work on this relationship with my dear sister."

"Why do I get the feeling something's in this for you?" Cupid questioned, his eyes squinting with suspicion.

"Whatever could you mean?" Ayeka asked timidly as she broke eye contact and turned to stare out at the lake through the glass-paneled wall. "I'm just looking out for the best interests of my little sister. Therefor, she'll have you and I'll have my Lord Tenchi. I can see it now…" Her eyes glazed over as she peered out into the sky, conjuring up scenarios in her imagination. "We'll all go out once a week and have quaint little picnics in the fields. On weekends, we'll have lovely moon-lit evenings under the stars..." As she continued describing episodes of her romantic fantasy, dreamily lost in her own thoughts, Cupid inched toward the front door.

"Miya..." Ryo-Ohki bid Cupid a regretful farewell. The sound of the cabbit's voice broke Ayeka out of her spell and she twisted her head abruptly, catching Cupid in mid-escape.

"How dare you attempt to leave a room while a royal princess is speaking to you?" She reprimanded, rushing over to stop him. Cupid turned to face Ayeka and reached out, gently touching a lock of her hair. She froze, stunned by the unexpected gesture.

"W—what are you doing?" Her eyes went wide with incomprehension.

"You know, you get so cute when you're angry." He said sweetly.

Caught totally off guard by his remark, Ayeka's face lit up red. "Oh my…" She turned away from him bashfully, placing a hand against her cheek. "I can't blame you for feeling some sort of attraction toward me. After all, I do tend to garner the attention of many suitors but I'll have you know, my heart belongs to Lord Tenchi, so I must decline." She spun back around only to find the front door wide open and Cupid starkly absent from the scene. She suddenly realized that it was all just a ploy to facilitate his escape. Her right eye twitched in a fit of chagrin. She stormed out onto the front porch.

"Why, you're nothing but a big flirt!" She bellowed out into the open air. Her chest heaved with angry labored breaths. "Cupid indeed." She huffed. "He obviously knows nothing about love."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Yugi's Guilt**

"Hey Taki! Are you gonna help me pick these tomatoes before it gets dark or am I gonna have to do it myself?" shouted Cupid as he crawled amidst a red sea of tomatoes on his hands and knees. He wore grey camouflage cargo shorts, a black long-sleeved thermal top, and high-top sneakers. Picking another tomato from its plant, he studied it for decay before tossing it over his shoulder into a cart behind him.

"I would but, ugh… My stomach pains are coming back!" Taki hollered from inside the meager wooden house. "But I suppose I can persevere through the agony to help you out. Hold on, I'm coming." He then let out the most poorly acted howl of pain Cupid had ever heard. "Nope, can't do it, sorry!" he declared, finally.

"You fat, lazy..." Cupid mumbled under his breath.

"I heard that!" Taki retorted, stomping out onto the back porch in a yellow Hawaiian shirt and grey sweat pants.

"Ah, I see you've recovered..." Cupid stated, wryly.

Suddenly conscious of his botched ruse, Taki dropped to his knees and held his stomach, grunting and groaning in melodramatic fashion. "Ugh, it hurts, it hurts so bad…"

"Shut up, you idiot!" Cupid yelled as he slung a tomato into Taki's face.

"You're kind of a dick, you know that?" Taki said, scooping red pulp from beneath the lenses of his glasses.

"And you've gotta be the worst farmer I've ever seen." Cupid replied. "I wonder how you've been getting by all this time."

Cupid started to ponder whether or not Taki's courtesy of letting him stay there for a while was worth the trouble. The man didn't even have a staff to help reap harvest. Cupid couldn't remember how he got talked into doing it but for the last few days, he'd been tending all the labor around the farm. The only consolation in all of this was that there were no more mutant vegetable incidents since the day of the festival. In fact, as Cupid thought about it, all of Taki's crops seemed pretty normal.

"Hey, Taki." He said, changing the subject. "Those things I fought at the Harvest Festival… Didn't you mention something about special fertilizer causing that to happen?"

"Yeah, that's right. It wasn't my recipe though." He shucked the blame.

"Then who's?"

"Strange story behind that." he began. "You see, every year at the festival, I enter into the Big Veggie competition. It's a contest to see who grew the season's largest vegetables. The grand prize is one million yen. I never tend to be among the finalists though." He shook his head, regretfully.

"With your work ethic?" Cupid replied sarcastically. "I'm shocked."

"Anyway…" The farmer continued, dismissively. "I was in the middle of wheeling my best candidates over to the event booth when a mysterious lady called out to me from one of the vendor stands. Normally, I wouldn't pay any mind to random sales proposition but this woman was smoking hot! One way or another, I was interested in checking out her goods, if you know what I mean." His face widened in a lecherous grin.

"Get to the point." Cupid sighed.

"Well, as I said, she was selling fertilizer. She guaranteed instant results and promised I'd have the largest specimens in the competition. Of course, I thought it was nonsense but she was willing to demonstrate it on two of my vegetables. Sure enough, as soon as she poured some of her tonic on them, they started to expand by the minute."

"So, you bought her fertilizer."

"Hell no! She already gave me what I needed to win the prize. I thanked her for the free sample and split out of there. She might have been gorgeous but not too bright." He gloated.

"And you called _me_ a dick…'" Cupid remarked.

Taki scoffed. "I'm glad I didn't pay her. My vegetables wouldn't stop growing and you saw what happened after that!"

"But why the hell did those things come straight after me?" Cupid pondered.

"Damned if I know but if they knew as much about you as I do, it wouldn't be much of a mystery."

"You're just asking for it, aren't you?" Cupid stood up, starting toward the farmer.

Taki jumped to his feet. "Argh, my stomach again, gotta take a shit!" He ran into the house quickly.

Cupid digressed. The sky was beginning to get dark. He returned to picking tomatoes while there was still daylight. Thinking back on the events of the week, he realized that he'd been putting off the task of seeking out the Masaki residence, as advised by Kiyone and Mihoshi but this world was starting to intrigue him. Recently meeting Sasami didn't make things any easier. While his mind reasoned that she was a possibility best left unknown, his heart begged him to see her once more.

He peered up at the sky in the spot where his ship floated, cloaked in transparency. He thought of the people he left back home, wondering if he'd ever see them again. For all he knew, it might not even be possible to return. Taki's voice interrupted the thought.

"Cupid, you got a visitor!"

Cupid stood up, flustered by surprised. To his knowledge, nobody knew he was staying there. Sasami briefly came to mind, which he quickly dismissed as wishful thinking. If there was anything he gathered from meeting her, it was that she wasn't the type who would aggressively pursue him. Taki came peeking out the back door.

"Nice work Cupe, you got a pretty sweet looking honey!" He gave him the thumbs up.

"Huh?" Perhaps his assumptions about Sasami were wrong.

"Don't try and play stupid, you sly dog, you."

Taki turned and called out behind him. "Come on out back, he's waiting for you."

In a moment, the visitor emerged through the door. It wasn't Sasami after all. Instead, a completely different girl with yellow hair stood there on the back porch. She had strange cat-slit eyes that Cupid couldn't decide to call purple or blue. The tips of her long ears peeked through her lengthy, cascading hair. She wore a long, red sweater that stopped midway at her thighs like a skirt, black tights and ankle boots that matched her top. She walked over to Cupid amongst the tomatoes and greeted him with a slight bow of her head.

"Hi, my name is Yugi." She said with a friendly smile.

"I'm Cupid." He replied, gazing suspiciously as he awaited an explanation to her presence.

"I know. I've heard all about you." She clarified. "Sasami and I are best friends."

"Did she send you here?"

"No. I was just curious. I wanted to see the boy that could make Sasami admire someone other than Tenchi."

An odd sensation of elation surged through him at the notion that Sasami thought about him prior to their short time together but he couldn't help but wonder about the other person Yugi mentioned.

"Who's this Tenchi I keep hearing about?" He asked, recalling how Ayeka pined over him obsessively the other day.

"He's a friend. But I didn't come here to talk about him. I just wanted to know... Do you like Sasami?"

The directness of the question made the conversation awkward for Cupid. He considered how he could answer it in the proper context. He couldn't deny his interests in Sasami but what repercussions would form if he proclaimed his feelings outright? Tomorrow was un-promised for him in this world, after all.

"I'd rather not say." He answered.

"But Sasami seems to like you. So, if you're what she wants, there's only one acceptable answer to the question." The insistence in her tone belied the affable grin on her purple painted lips.

"I prefer having options." Cupid replied. "What if I say 'no'?"

"Then, I'll beat a 'yes' out of you." She answered quite bluntly while maintaining her friendly expression.

"A bit ornery, aren't you?" He stared at her, bemused.

She stared back inquiringly, waiting for an answer to her ultimatum.

"I'd like to see you try." Cupid said finally.

"As you wish."

Without any queues from her body language, a ray of energy suddenly erupted from her petite form. Blown back by the destructive flare, Cupid was sent hurtling through the air before sliding across the tomato field, coming to rest amidst a pile of red slurry. Yugi began to walk toward her downed prey, intent on abducting him. To her surprise, Cupid got up rather quickly. She stopped in her tracks, stunned as she watched him brush soil and tomato pieces off of himself. He looked up at Yugi incredulously.

"What the hell are you?" He questioned, grudgingly acknowledging to himself that she might have incapacitated him if not for the fact that he threw up a barrier of concentrated energy before the attack hit. His stance became aggressive, arms at his sides. As he curled his fingers, energy formed in crystalized patterns in his palms.

Yugi's eyes went wide. "Likewise." She said as her baffled expression slowly became a grin. "Let's play." Her feet left the ground as she slowly levitated into the air.

"Heh." Cupid replied with a grin of his own. "Ok, but I play rough." He ascended along with her.

"Is that a promise?" She challenged.

"Uh... Cupe." Taki called from down below. "If all you're gonna do is fight her I'll take her off your hands. I mean geez!"

"As if I'd let you touch me…" Yugi retorted in disgust.

"Taki, I'm starting to wonder if you have a death wish." Cupid warned.

"Note taken." He replied, nervously. "I'll just go inside and let you handle this, then." With that, he retreated into the house.

Cupid and Yugi stared at each other, tension building between them amid the night sky. All at once, they darted at each other like two comets converging.

* * *

Sasami sat on the living room sofa along with Ayeka and Ryoko watching cheesy soap operas. However, she had long lost track of the story's details due to Ayeka and Ryoko bickering like children over some meaningless disagreement again. As such, her mind began to wander and thoughts of Cupid came floating to the surface. It had been nearly a week since the day she met him.

In remembrance, she regretted how she ran away before properly saying goodbye but Ayeka's comment blew away her composure so completely that retreating was her only option for salvation. She wondered if she would ever see him again. Deciding to put her concerns aside for now, she zoned back in to the sound of the continuing quarrel. Tenchi entered the room, exhausted by an afternoon of yard work, sword training, and shrine maintenance.

"C'mon now, I'm tired of you two constantly fighting. What's the problem now?" He demanded.

"Ryoko's starting trouble as usual!" Ayeka complained.

"I am not! I'm just stating the facts." Said Ryoko in defense.

"The facts? Where do you get your facts from, the same newspaper that has 'Exclusive interviews with Bigfoot'?" Ayeka snapped.

"Why you…! I'll put a big foot in your ass!" Ryoko retorted with fury in her amber eyes.

"You're such a barbarian!" Ayeka proclaimed, defiantly. "Ok, I know how to settle this ridiculous discussion." She looked over at Tenchi and softened her voice. "Lord Tenchi, maybe you can help us. For some reason, Miss Ryoko has this ridiculous idea she's a better kisser than me and—"

"What?! That's what this crazy argument is all about?" he interrupted.

"Well Tenchi..." Ryoko said sweetly as she pulled up close to him. "You can end all of this easily, you know. I'll let you kiss me here and now. Once Ayeka witnesses all the fireworks shooting off between us, she'll have no choice but to admit we're made for each other." She flirtingly twirled a lock of her turquoise hair around her finger.

"You must be out of your mind!" Ayeka protested. "As if I'd allow you to contaminate Tenchi's mouth with your pirate cooties!"

"I'm not kissing anyone so let's just drop the subject, ok?" Tenchi precluded.

Just then, the front door came crashing open and in walked Yugi appearing as if she'd just crawled out of a tornado. Her clothes were torn in various places and there were dirt smudges on her expressionless face.

"Yugi!" cried Sasami. "What happened to you? Where have you been?"

Yugi lowered her head guiltily, averting her gaze. "I tripped and fell in the dirt, that's all. I'm ok."

"Sheesh! Where was the dirt, at the bottom of a cliff?" Teased Ryoko as she and Ayeka snickered.

"Ryoko..." Tenchi chided. "Yugi, you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, I'm just fine" Yugi cracked a strange smile.

"Come on Yugi." Sasami said as she hopped up from the sofa. "Let's go to my room and we'll talk." She grabbed Yugi's arm and tugged her along upstairs.

Tenchi stood scratching his head. "Wonder what that was all about."

As the two entered into the bedroom, Sasami closed the door behind them. Yugi sat upon the futon, legs crossed Indian style as Sasami sat on the other end, mirroring her friend's position.

"You can tell me. We're best friends, right?"

"Ok, the truth is..." Yugi began and then paused.

"Yes Yugi?" Sasami pressed on, attentively.

Yugi continued. "I went to see Cupid."

"But… why?" Sasami asked in dismay.

"I wanted to bring him here for you. The way you talked about him... I thought it would make you happy."

"It doesn't work that way, Yugi." Sasami replied, beginning to worry about Cupid.

"Cupid... He's a little more than I expected."

"What do you mean? Please, Yugi… Tell me nothing bad happened." Sasami's expression became distraught.

"I tried to bring him here by force but... He beat me. The only thing that got hurt was my pride."

"Cupid... Is stronger than you?" Sasami wondered aloud in disbelief. "Yugi. You can't force two people together, even if you mean well."

"I know that, now." Yugi replied somberly.

"It's ok. You need to rest." Sasami got up from the futon. "I'll be back in a while with something to eat, ok?" Sasami smiled at her friend and headed toward the door.

"Oh, and Yugi..." Sasami stopped momentarily, looking back at her once more. "I know you meant well. You're a good friend." With that, she left the room.

Yugi collapsed on the futon, staring at the ceiling as she thought about her encounter with Cupid. She'd never met anyone who could single handedly counter her abilities so effectively. Strangely, she wasn't angry about it. She was utterly defeated but she didn't mind at all. She enjoyed herself today. The problem is that she felt wrong for it. He was supposed to be for Sasami but she couldn't deny her own feelings.

"Cupid…" she voiced in a half whisper. "I... I like you..."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: The Talk**

It was yet another beautiful day in rural Okayama. The sun poured its light upon all that could be seen by Tenchi's dark brown eyes. On days like this, gathering vegetables from the garden didn't feel like a burden. He tossed a radish into a basket which was about full to its brim with a colorful assortment of veggies such as carrots and potatoes.

"That should do it." He said, looking over at Noike. She smiled, nodding at him in silent approval.

"Well, I guess we better get back." He said. "This is only the start of my day."

Noike grinned sympathetically. "Such is the life of a Shinto priest who has eight mouths to feed."

She grasped one handle of the basket as Tenchi took the other. Together, they lifted the load and began their walk along the motorway. As they marched on, Tenchi looked out into the endless plain beyond the road. The wind swept through its green pastures in hypnotic patterns, prompting his mind to wander. Sentimental memories of summers past drifted through his thoughts. As if captured by the same spell, Noike shared a treasured reminiscence.

"Remember the first time we did this?" She asked. "I saw you tending the field from that road right over there." She pointed.

"Yeah, and you rushed over to catch Ryo-Ohki, just as she fell into the irrigation gutter. You scolded me for my terrible babysitting. That was the day we met." He smiled as he recollected the scene in his mind's eye. "You still had your long hair."

"That's right." She ran her fingers through the short teal tuft at the back of her head. "I remember how it just got in the way as I picked carrots with you."

Tenchi looked at her curiously. "Is that why you cut it?"

"I never really thought about it but maybe so…" She mused. "Perhaps part of me knew that I wanted to be here forever, picking vegetables in the garden without having to pull my hair aside to glance at you."

Tenchi smiled at her. He thought about the word 'forever' and realized that he hoped it was true. He had grown so close to each one of the women in his life, all of them taking a special place in his heart. He acknowledged to himself that he couldn't bare the thought of it all changing.

However, he knew there would come a time when he'd inevitably have to choose which one he ultimately couldn't live without. Now a young man in his mid-twenties, he'd lived this way so long, he wondered if he ever could make that decision. He then remembered that there was one such time in his life when he did make that impossible choice: It was during his first and final semester of college, the year before Noike joined the household.

That was when he met the one who made him feel like she was all that he needed to be happy. Her laugh, her smile and the way she called his name replayed in his mind. Then as always, his nostalgia turned into a bittersweet sorrow. As he put away his memories, he noticed Noike's silver eyes studying him concernedly.

"Are you ok?" She questioned. "You looked a little depressed. I can start growing my hair back if you miss it that much." She teased.

"What?" He realized his expression was giving away his secrets. "No, it's nothing. I guess this nice day just has me day-dreaming a bit too much." He smiled to reassure her that everything was ok. The two of them finally reached the gate of the Masaki residence.

"Welcome back." Asake and Kamidake greeted in unison as the entrance swung open to allow them through. Gazing down the path around the lake, Tenchi spotted Ryo-Ohki near the house, in her cabbit form, chasing butterflies that happened to be a little too quick for her. He chuckled as she leaped at one only to take a tumble that resulted in a mouthful of grass. He then noticed one of the old trees that stood in the yard about sixty feet away. Underneath it, Yugi sat alone with a troubled expression on her face.

"Noike, do you mind taking these the rest of the way?" He asked.

"Of course not." She replied, reaching out to grasp the other handle. She continued on without him, towing the basket effortlessly, as if the act of him sharing the weight had been purely superficial.

Tenchi walked over to the young girl, stopping in front of her.

"Hi, Yugi."

She looked up, surprised. She must have been just as deep in thought as he was during his walk home.

"Oh, hello Tenchi." She smiled at him and Tenchi felt his heart skip a beat. He didn't really notice until this moment that Yugi's smile was the same as Sakuya's. He and Yugi never really had much of an opportunity for quality time since the day she awoke from her seven-year slumber just a year ago. Now, having a good look at her face smiling under the sunlight, he could see the unmistakable truth: She looked exactly like his lost love.

The color of her hair must have been what threw him off before, as Sakuya's was short and dark. Besides that, it was uncanny. Yugi's present appearance was that of a girl about fifteen years of age; not far from what Sakuya was when Tenchi met her.

"Tenchi, are you ok?" Yugi questioned. He realized he had been staring at her.

"Oh." Tenchi chuckled anxiously and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, I was just thinking... It was nothing really." He composed himself. "We really haven't had a chance to get to know each other. I was wondering if I could talk with you for a bit."

"Oh, ok." She replied, surprised but welcoming.

"Great!" Tenchi plopped down under the tree next to her. "So, how are you adapting to your life here with us?"

"It's very nice here." She answered. "It's the first time I've ever felt like I had a family. Thank you, Tenchi, for letting me stay in your home after all the trouble I caused you."

"You were lonely then. You didn't know the right way to make friends and you were angry. I don't blame you for that, Yugi." Tenchi placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know that inside you're a good person and you make this house a better place by being here. What matters is that you're comfortable."

"Yes, I'm comfortable." She answered. "I like this place. It's nice to be a part of this family with Sasami and the whole group, even if I can't understand most of their behavior sometimes."

"Well, that makes two of us then." Said Tenchi and they both shared a laugh. Then, there was quiet as they both sat looking into the afternoon sky for a while. Suddenly, Yugi broke the silence with a question.

"Tenchi, what are you thinking about?"

Tenchi was reluctant to answer the question but felt he should come to terms. If there was ever a right moment to speak about what he'd been feeling, he supposed it was then. He told her the truth.

"I was thinking about..." It was hard to say the name to Yugi. He had no idea how she would react about it. But finally he just let it out. "Sakuya."

Yugi's expression became sullen. "I see. You still think of her."

"Yes. Sometimes." Tenchi answered, solemnly. "I was wondering if she... Is she still there inside you? Do you remember anything about her experiences meeting me?"

Yugi looked down at the grass with an expression of deep thought. "Sakuya is part of me. I laugh at the things she would laugh about. Sometimes I cry at the things she would cry about. I find myself becoming more like her all the time." She lifted her head and faced Tenchi. "Yes, I remember some of the things she saw through her eyes when she was her own self. But being that I am ultimately Yugi and Sakuya was only a manifestation of the kindness I had in me, I can't feel what she felt about you. I can only see it. I see that she loved you. So if you're asking if the person I am now is in love with you... The answer is no."

"No, that's not what I was implying. I—" But when Tenchi thought about it for a moment, he realized it was pretty close to what he wanted to know. "Thank you for answering my question." He said finally.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you." She repeated. "I've recently had a taste of how it feels to be fond of someone in such a way and I know it must have hurt you in ways that I can't yet imagine. I understand if you can never quite forgive me."

Tenchi said nothing for a while. He couldn't tell her that it was all right, and that all was forgotten. But he could tell her one thing that after hearing her apology he could finally say.

"I do forgive you."

She smiled at him in acceptance and gave him a hug that felt all too familiar to Tenchi. Indeed, he could feel that Sakuya still existed within her, and that was enough to quell the sorrow in his heart.

"So now it's your turn to tell me what you were thinking about." He urged.

"Ok." She said. She now felt it very easy to talk to Tenchi. She usually would tell Sasami about her problems but this was one that she didn't feel comfortable sharing with her best friend. She was glad that Tenchi came along after all. "It's about something that happened yesterday."

"You mean about last night." Tenchi clarified. "The 'fall in the dirt'?"

"Yeah." She answered, fidgeting with a blade of grass between her fingers.

"I'm all ears." He said, listening intently.

"Alright." She began, nervously. "Well, it all started when Sasami told me about the boy that found Ryo-Ohki and brought her home. She seemed to like him but she was unhappy about the way things ended. She thought he might never return to see her again. I wanted to make Sasami feel better so I went out to look for him. I didn't know what he looked like but he had a unique name that I could use to ask around."

"Cupid." Tenchi said.

"Yes."

"I remember Ayeka mentioning him after I came back from searching for Ryo-Ohki myself that day." He explained. "So, did you find him?"

"Yes. I told him how Sasami felt about him and demanded that he come back with me to see her... Unfortunately, he declined and I decided to use force."

"W-what?!" Tenchi exclaimed. "My God, what did you do?" He cried out, horror strewn across his expression.

"Calm down, Tenchi; I didn't hurt him."

Tenchi began to catch his breath, one hand clutching at his chest. "Good, I'm too young to have a heart attack."

"I blasted him with a bolt of energy." Yugi continued.

"What?!" Tenchi clutched his chest once more.

"Tenchi, are you gonna let me finish the story or what?"

He calmed down. "Ok, ok, sorry. I'll hear you out. Please go on."

She continued her story, telling Tenchi how Cupid recovered from the blow easily and challenged her to a fight. As she went into detail, she could remember everything clearly, as if it were happening all over again:

Yugi and Cupid floated high above the plantation, beneath the starry, sapphire sky. The landscape below was visible for miles, populated by trees and neighboring farmland. They could see each other's face clearly in the light of the full moon. Cupid's expression was full of anxious curiosity. He seemed confident and Yugi was intent on wiping the smile clear off his face. Her anticipation inspired a grin of her own.

Patience not being one of her strong suits; Yugi initiated the brawl. As if waiting for her queue, Cupid charged toward her in the same instant. They collided in a chaotic lightshow, repelling each other back with their energy only to collide again, each one trying to break down the other's force field. Sparks flew like fireworks in the sky. The excitement caused Yugi to erupt into a fit of unabashed laughter as the night air whipped through her hair.

"You seem to be having fun." Cupid observed, maintaining his assault.

"Yes, but the fun is only beginning!" She retorted gleefully, deflecting his onslaught.

"I would say you have a nice smile if I didn't think it was inspired by thoughts of tearing me apart."

Yugi was caught by surprise. No boy had ever physically complimented her before. "Are you saying that to confuse me?" She questioned, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"I'm not." He replied. "But that doesn't mean I intend to hold back!" With that, he increased the power of his attack, knocking Yugi out the sky. She plummeted into the middle of the tomato patch like a fallen star. In a violent burst of soil, the impact produced a ten foot wide crater.

"No, my precious tomatoes!" Taki shrieked in panic, rushing over to the crash site. Cupid landed at the rim of the crater, peering down inside.

"Are you ok down there?" He called out; worried he might have overdone it. Suddenly, a huge surge of power blasted up in his direction, sending him into the night sky like a bottle rocket.

Taki yelped as he witnessed Cupid sailing away. Yugi climbed up out of the hole giggling like a schoolgirl as she brushed herself off.

"Now this is fun!" She exclaimed merrily before taking off into the air after Cupid. Taki stood alone gawking at the stars.

"They're… Monsters."

Landing amidst a tall forest, Yugi crept through the brush in search of Cupid. "I know I saw him fall somewhere near here." It was dark and she couldn't make out much more than trees and shadows cast in the moonlight. She stepped cautiously, twigs snapping beneath her feet. She heard the sound of branches cracking nearby.

"I can heeearrr youuuu! Come on out and play!" But there was no response. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out some kind of human shape in the shadows but all she could see was darkness. Sharply, she caught a burst of light in her peripheral but it was too late. A bolt of energy hit her from the left, hurling her against a tree trunk.

"Ouch." She groaned, pulling herself from the crumbling bark. Cupid hopped out of the shadows.

"We really gotta stop meeting this way." He quipped.

"Why?" She queried, straightening her posture. "I have you right where I want you." She began to laugh mischievously, waving her arms about in ritualistic fashion. A blustering crackle resounded through the forest as two trees beside her twisted menacingly, uprooting themselves from the ground.

"Shit." Cupid baulked. "Nice trick, but do you really think a couple trees are gonna stop me?" The hostile oaks loomed toward him, moaning and wailing with their branches sprouting sharp spikes, poised to eviscerate him. Cupid snapped his fingers. Embers popped as a fire ignited in his right hand. He lunged forward, smashing his palm into the trunk of the first tree. As the second tree swiped a deadly branch at him, he ducked under and struck it with a burning fist. On impact, both trees burst into flames. They toppled over, tumbling about in an attempt to extinguish the blaze.

"Yeah that's right, stop, drop and roll!" Taunted Cupid as he laughed hysterically.  
"What I wouldn't do for some marshmallows right about now!"

"I think you should take a look behind you." Warned Yugi. Cupid turned around to discover a massive bear looming over him, wearing a ranger's hat as it grasped a fire axe. Cupid gulped nervously as he backed away.

"So you like to start forest fires, huh boy?"

"N-no!" Cupid exclaimed, throwing his hands up before him in apology. He pointed at Yugi. "I'm sorry, but she—"

"Sorry doesn't un-burn those poor trees, do they?" The bear reprimanded, hoisting his axe into the air. "I must punish you for your crimes against nature!" It brought its axe down at Cupid in a devastating arc. Cupid dodged and countered with a punch to the gut that sent the bear reeling back. "How dare you strike an officer of the forest?!" It cried out as it tumbled into a large bush.

Yugi was laughing uncontrollably at the folly, tears coming out of her eyes. Cupid turned toward her, all riled up.

"That's it! You're mine now!"

"If you can catch me first!" She said before flying off. He smiled, granting that she gave one hell of an interesting fight. Suddenly, he heard the sound of something approaching from behind. Cupid ducked as the bear took a final swipe at him with its enormous claw. He leaped into the air and took flight. Gazing back at Yugi's abnormal creation, he found a pair of furious eyes glaring his way.

"Only you can prevent forest fires, asshole!" It shouted, shaking an angry fist.

Near the outskirts of the woods, Cupid found Yugi standing in a field of grass with her arms folded, bathed in moonlight. He landed fifty feet in front of her. He stared curiously at her, noticing that her face, which was full of jubilance just a moment ago was now stoic.

"Are you giving up?" He inquired.

"It's getting late." She replied. "I had fun but I should be getting back soon."

"But you haven't beaten me, which means you failed."

"I said I have to go. I didn't say you weren't coming with me."

"Then you do have some fight left in you." He took a step toward her.

"Don't come any closer." She glared at him in warning. He stopped, seemingly heeding her caution. Yugi was surprised; she was sure he would challenge her threat, which is what she wanted. The closer he was, the easier it would be for her to successfully spring her trap. She blinked and in the fraction of a moment it took for her eyelids to shutter, he closed the distance, standing before her, close enough to embrace her if he wanted to.

"And what if I did come closer?" He questioned, defiantly. Flustered by his incalculable speed and the sudden lack of distance between them, she struggled to regain her poise.

"Then I'd..." She looked into his eyes. "I'd have to..." She lifted her face towards his. Was she actually going to do this? She'd never kissed a boy before. This wasn't even like her. This was more like... Sakuya. Did assimilating with her all those years ago cause her to desire... Love? More and more she found herself behaving like her quixotic counterpart. There was a purpose for coming to find Cupid and this wasn't it. "I'd have to trap you!" She exclaimed finally, creating a field of energy to encase him. "Game over." She gloated as he sat, floating in an opaque bubble. "And I have a confession to make." She added. "I could have caught you any time I wanted to."

Cupid smiled in a way that made Yugi uncertain.

"I have a confession to make too." He retorted. "I could get out of this trap any time I wanted to." With that, he disappeared before her eyes.

"Impossible!" Yugi shouted, throwing her hands against the surface of the bubble. She looked closely inside and saw that there was only a piece of paper that remained. Studying it curiously, she noticed something written on it. She released the energy barrier and it gently fell to the ground. She picked it up and began to read its contents:

"Dear Yugi,

You are an unusual girl with admirable power. Just so you know, I could have won this before it even began. One more thing: one of my abilities happens to be shape shifting, which means you unwittingly let me go. I could be a bug in the grass, a leaf in the wind... Maybe even a piece of paper.

P.S. - This message will self-destruct... Now!"

It suddenly exploded in her face and sent her tumbling through the air. All of a sudden, she stopped. She opened her eyes to find herself incased in an orb of energy, much like the one she created for Cupid. She spotted him walking calmly toward her, tables turned as she sat helplessly at the mercy of his whim.

"Thanks for the idea." He said. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned. "I had a great time but it's been a long day. I think we should both get some rest, don't you think?"

"But... But... You cheated." She accused, pushing her face against the inside of the bubble. He walked over and pressed the tip of his index finger against the outside, directly opposite of her forehead.

"Goodnight." He said, gently shoving the bubble off into the air. He waved as she sailed high away. She peered down, watching him become a speck in the moonlight. A strange regret tugged at her. The feeling intensified in even measure with the distance between them and she realized that it had nothing to do with the fact that she failed in her mission.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Said Tenchi, snapping Yugi back to the present. "So he got the best of you, huh Yugi?" He chuckled.

"Whose side are you on?" She questioned, a bit offended.

"Hmm, let me think…" He stroked his chin as he summarized the situation. "You try to abduct him and force him into love with Sasami. I think I know exactly how that feels. I'd have to say I'm on his side."

Recognizing how true it was that Tenchi could relate, Yugi giggled. She then let out a sigh. "Cupid..." His name escaped her lips like a love chant.

"You miss him, don't you?" Tenchi observed.

"Yes. I do." She admitted. "I like him… I like him so much. I want to keep him. We have so much in common. I... I want to be his girlfriend!" She was now holding Tenchi by the collar.

"Ok, calm down!" advised Tenchi, pulling away. "If that's what's bothering you, why don't you just go over and see him again?"

"I can't!" She explained. "Sasami. She likes him too and I don't want to hurt her."

"I see. This is a tough one…" He contemplated. "Maybe if you tell Sasami how you feel about him, she'll understand."

"Do you really think so?"

"I can't promise but in any case, bottling it up isn't good. But remember: your feelings need to be reciprocated. Ultimately, it will be up to him. No matter what, understand that."

"I understand." She stated, earnestly. "Thanks, Tenchi. You're the best!"

"Any time, Yugi. I'm always here if you need to talk." With that, Tenchi got up and walked off toward the house. He felt as if he really bonded with Yugi for the first time and that was good. She was going to be just fine staying with the group. He thought about her story and began to chuckle.

"Heh, heh... I can't wait to meet this kid."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Rivalry**

"How do people do this?" Cupid groaned impatiently, standing in the middle of the Yamada's Supermarket cereal aisle. He held a box in each hand, studying them as if trying to decipher an ancient code. Sugar Blasted Rocket Puffs or Chocolate Marshmallow Candy Crisp: This was the enigma that served to confound him for the past five minutes. He supposed they both sounded ok but it was the aesthetics of their respective cartons, which served as the root of his indecisiveness.

In one hand, the neon glow of shooting stars and orange shuttles surfed through the visual pun that was quite literally a milky way. In the other, a whimsical cartoon troll shoved a spoonful of cereal in its mouth with such an expression of euphoria that Cupid wondered if there was an extra ingredient not listed on the box.

"You both win." He sighed, tossing them simultaneously into his shopping cart. He continued on, bearing the weight of his body against the handlebar of the cart as he traipsed down the lane lethargically. It was the first time he'd ever had to shop for himself and it was proving more tedious than he'd ever imagined. Regardless of this, he supposed it was necessary as Taki's greed was reaching new heights back at the house.

Cupid recalled his intention to make an omelet that morning, discovering that every egg in the carton was plastered with _Property of Taki_ labels. As he rounded the corner into another lane, fantasizing about breaking that carton of eggs over Taki's head, an unfamiliar voice called out to him.

"Hey… Hey you, there."

He turned to face the origin of the voice, finding a skinny young man in jeans, white t-shirt, and a baseball cap, staring at him excitedly.

"Ah, it is you! I knew it!" He exclaimed in recognition. Cupid looked back at him, confused. He was sure he'd never seen the man before in his life. "You're the guy from the festival; the cucumber killer!"

"Oh… Yeah…" Cupid cringed at his new moniker.

"I was there at your show. It was absolutely amazing!" He rushed over, eyes glinting with fascination. "I've been going to that festival every year since I was a kid and I've never seen anything like that. Not even close!"

"Hey, keep it down, will you?" Cupid demanded as he noticed people around them start to stare. "I'm glad you enjoyed the show but I really have to get going." He started to turn away.

"Wait!" The young man requested. "I've just got to know; how did you guys do it?" He gawked at Cupid, anxiously waiting for the secret formula to be imparted to him.

"Do what?"

"You know… the special effects. I keep replaying it over in my head but I just can't figure it out. It's really been driving me crazy!"

Cupid supposed he should come up with something to appease the man's curiosity if he wanted to make a clean breakaway.

"Well, you know… Mirrors, cables, and…" Cupid queried his mind for some form of Earth capable technology that explained away some of the phenomena. "Holograms." he said finally, hoping it was a believable offering.

"Holograms!" The young man repeated, pounding a fist into the palm of his other hand. "I've heard of that before but never on such a grand scale." His face went slack in sudden befuddlement. "But that still doesn't explain the chunks…"

"The chunks?"

"Yeah. I have a cousin who worked on the cleanup crew of this year's festival. He was kind of pissed off about all the mess that particular show left behind."

"Oh, yeah, the chunks…" Cupid recalled. He went back to pondering. "Canons." He said after a moment, snapping his fingers. "We packed them full of vegetables and fired them off at the right moment. Fake explosion, real chunks, got it?"

"Brilliant!" The man cried eagerly. "But…" Perplexity returned to his expression. "My cousin said they had to call in a tow truck to haul away half of a giant cucumber. How did you—."

"Look, buddy…" Cupid cut him off in frustration. "If I told you every detail, there'd be no magic left, would there?"

"I suppose you have a point." The man digressed. "Fair enough. But can I ask just one tiny little favor?"

"Go ahead." Cupid reluctantly granted.

"Can I get a photo with you? I've just got to show this to my cousin! He'll never believe it otherwise."

Cupid sighed. "Ok…"

With that, the man excitedly pulled a smartphone from his pocket, threw an arm over Cupid's shoulder and flashed a wide grin. "Say cheese!" He prompted as the sound of a camera shutter signaled the successful snapshot.

"There." He said, checking his phone for the results. "Whaddya' think?" He held the screen up for Cupid's approval. In the photo, the fan was visibly ecstatic as his arm wrapped around Cupid's neck in a virtual chokehold. Cupid's expression was something of the opposite nature, his body language spelling out the magnitude of his discomfort. In the far background of the picture, Sasami stood there, looking on bewilderedly.

"Huh?" Cupid spun around with a start. There she was in the flesh, staring back at him curiously. Her hair was tied back in two bundles, which draped down her back. Bangs framed the green, _V_ shaped mark on her forehead. Her emerald-shaded tunic was split down the sides, revealing a pair of black leggings.

"Whoa, who is that?" His new acquaintance uttered after turning to see what so suddenly caught Cupid's attention. "Oh man…" He murmured, spellbound. "She might be the girl of my dreams…"

"How about I put you to sleep so you can verify that?" Cupid cautioned.

"O-oh, wait, is she—?" He wagged his finger between Cupid and Sasami. "Ah, I gotcha'." He drew back, suddenly grasping the situation. "Aw, man… I'll just be going then. Thanks for the pic!" He meandered off, knocking over a display of canned goods as he peeked back over his shoulder to steal another glimpse of Sasami. One rolled under his foot sending him crashing to the floor, sprawled out on his back. "God damn it! That did _not_ just happen while she was looking!" He shouted before springing to his feet and retreating in humiliation.

"Hi Cupid." Sasami greeted, recovering from the awkward scene.

"Sasami. What are you doing here?" He asked, shocked by her presence.

"Shopping of course, silly." She teased, dangling a basket of items in front of her. "Looks like you're doing the same."

"Yeah… Or trying to, at least." He wryly remarked. She walked over and peered into his cart.

"Um, do you have a sweet tooth?" She questioned, observing his collection of junk food.

"Now that you mention it…" Visions of last night's forbidden cake with 'Only for Taki, not Cupid' inscribed in icing danced through his head. "I'm really bad at this, I think."

"I can teach you." She offered happily.

"Would you? That would be great!" He replied, grateful for the lesson.

"The first rule of grocery shopping: never do it on impulse." She lectured. "You should make out a practical list of what you need before even leaving the house. Otherwise, you'll end up with, well… This." She nodded at the contents of Cupid's cart.

"I see." He stated, observantly.

"You'll want to make sure all your basic food groups are covered." She instructed. "I usually think about whether or not I'm running low on bread, milk, or eggs."

"Eggs!" He bonked the heel of his palm against his forehead. "How could I possibly forget that after this morning?"

"No worries just follow my lead." She said, placing her basket into his shopping cart. She took over the task of pushing it along and he walked next to her, feeling as if she had just rescued him from a cruel fate.

"I'm happy to see you again." He said.

She blushed. "I'm happy to see you again, too." She replied. "I'm sorry about the other day. The way I left the room, I mean."

"You don't have to apologize. I understand."

"Also, I'm sorry for last night. Yugi told me what happened. I had no idea she'd go and do something like that."

"Yugi." Cupid said with a chuckle. "She's different, for sure. But it was ok. I don't mind."

Sasami was relieved that he didn't seem put off by the odd events of the week. She thought back on what Yugi said about the outcome of their scuffle and remembered that he possessed a set of peculiarities of his own. "Cupid… You're not from Earth, are you?"

He looked at her, somewhat surprised by the question but supposed it was only natural for her to come to such conclusions after what happened with Yugi. He chose the honest answer. "As far as I can tell, I am, to some extent. Just not _this_ version of it."

"Then… another dimension?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"I'm from a different place too." She admitted. "Me, Yugi, almost everyone at the Masaki residence."

"Can't say that surprises me, no offense." He said. "Wait a minute; did you say the Masaki residence?"

"Yes, that's right." She looked at him conspicuously.

Cupid laughed at the irony. "The whole reason I came to Japan was to seek out the Masaki residence. I can't believe I found it without even realizing."

"Find us?" Sasami questioned. "Why?"

"I need answers about how to find my way back home."

"Then you're stuck here…" She realized, troubled.

"Seems so…"

"That must be terrible." She said woefully. "But you had the right idea. Washu knows a lot about cross-dimensional travel. I'm sure she could help you."

"Who's that?"

"I have an idea!" Sasami said suddenly. "I'm cooking a big dinner for everyone in the house tomorrow. You should come! I'll introduce you to everyone and we'll see about finding an answer for you."

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan." Cupid agreed, optimistically.

"Great, I can't wait!" She smiled at him, endearingly, rousing something within his heart that he'd never felt from anyone else. He smiled back, wishing he could tell her how beautiful he thought she was. He fought the urge, heeding the advice of his conscience. They continued exploring the aisles together, staying close to one another as she tutored him in the finer points of grocery shopping.

Just like that, a chore that seemed so overwhelming became intriguing and gratifying for Cupid. By way of her knowledge and patience, he'd found everything he needed to get through the week. Mournful of the inevitable conclusion of their time together, they found themselves in a reluctant parting ritual in front of the store.

"Thanks for your help." said Cupid. "I don't know what I would've done without you."

Hearing those words made Sasami feel contented. "You're very welcome."

"You know, I can walk you home if you'd like." He offered.

"I only need to walk down the road. Kamidake is waiting where no one can see. He's my ride back."

"Oh, ok then." He acknowledged, mildly disappointed.

"I'll see you tomorrow evening, right?" She reminded, as if trying to remedy his letdown.

"Definitely. It's a date."

She grinned irrepressibly. "I look forward to it." They exchanged their goodbyes and she walked off along the sidewalk. She peeked back every so often, smiling to herself every time she found Cupid still standing there, watching after her. As she reached the corner of the street where she was meant to turn, she took one final look back. This time, he was gone. She scanned about, unable to see him beyond the traffic of people who strolled in and out of the store.

"Princess Sasami, is everything alright?" Kamidake called out from around the corner, posing as a statue.

"Yes." She answered, still gazing longingly down the road. She turned toward her escort finally. "I'm ready."

"As you wish, Your Highness." He replied, angling himself parallel to the ground. She walked over and boosted herself up, taking a seat upon his wooden body. They lifted off into the air, en route to the Masaki household.

* * *

Yugi was lying back on the living room sofa, reading through one of Nobuyuki's old mangas from a collection he left at the house years ago. She heard the front door slam shut followed by a fray of shuffling feet. In a moment, Sasami came rushing into the room excitedly.

"Yugi! You'll never guess what happened!"

"What?" Yugi sat up in addled attention.

"When I was out grocery shopping, I ran into Cupid! Can you believe it?" She exclaimed, cheerily.

"R-really?" Yugi's face lit up.

"Yes!" Sasami squealed. "And tomorrow he's coming to dinner!"

Yugi's heart fluttered. She didn't expect that she would see him again so soon. She struggled to keep her expression neutral, although she was overjoyed by the news.

"Today has been so great." Sasami went on as she plopped down next to Yugi on the sofa. "I taught Cupid how to shop. He really seemed lost. It was so cute! The whole time we walked around the store together. It was like we were a couple."

Yugi began to feel discomfort in her chest. It wasn't quite anger, or annoyance. She realized it was jealousy brewing inside her.

"And then he asked to walk me home. That was sweet, right? I kind of wish Kamidake wasn't there; I could have spent more time with him." She said regretfully. "I can't wait until tomorrow. I'm going to make something I'm sure he'll like! Oh, maybe we'll have time to sit by the lake together and get to know more about each other. And I can show him the shrine and—."

"I like him too!" Yugi blurted out, unable to hold back any longer. Sasami stared at her in shock.

"Yugi?" She uttered, not sure she heard her correctly.

"I… I like Cupid too." Yugi repeated. "I'm sorry."

Sasami sat wide-eyed, absorbing the revelation. "I don't understand." She said, finally. "How did this happen?"

"I don't know." Yugi answered, fraught with guilt. "I met him and… I felt happy around him. I didn't mean for it to happen."

Sasami sat silently in a daze.

"Are you upset?" Yugi asked her.

Sasami's brow furrowed with vexation. "I don't know what to feel. I think I'm a little upset, yes…"

"Sasami, I'm sorry." Yugi repeated, worriedly. I was trying to help but…"

"I didn't ask you to go see him." Sasami interjected, her scorn becoming more apparent. "I could have handled it in my own way. Just like today when we met at the store. It would have all worked out, one way or another."

Yugi sat quietly, not sure that anything she could say right now could ease the tension. Sasami glared wordlessly at the coffee table in front of her. Though trying to stay composed, her chest heaved in short, labored breaths, indicating that she was sulking. Just as Yugi thought it might be best if she left the room, Sasami spoke once more.

"I don't own him." She said. "I don't even know if anything will come of me meeting him. Also, I can't claim that my feelings for him are anymore valid than yours."

"Sasami, I—."

"I'm not finished." She said sternly. "We're best friends. Nothing will ever change that. But I want you to know… I will not sit idle and let you win."

Yugi was flustered; she'd never seen this side of Sasami before but she was glad. "I understand." She replied. "I accept your challenge."

"He's mine!" Shouted Ayeka, tumbling violently into the room, embroiled in a grappling match with Ryoko. They rolled across the living room floor, tugging at each other's hair. "I'm going to marry Tenchi!" Ryoko retorted, putting Ayeka into a submission hold. "It's only a matter of time but we all know it's going to happen!" In the same manner as they entered, they went tumbling back out of the room, into another area of the house. Sasami and Yugi sat there in collective chagrin.

"No matter what," Sasami stated. "Let's never let it come to that."

"Agreed." Yugi concurred.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: A Tangled Bunch**

Cupid stepped onto the front porch of the Masaki residence and took a deep, nervous breath. Today he was anxious and he couldn't tell if it was more about the possibility that he might find the answers he needed or that he was simply excited to see Sasami again. Despite all his efforts, he was helplessly drifting into a state of emotional attachment. Last night he'd even wondered if it would be such a bad thing if there weren't a way back home for him. In the end, he perished the thought; Ciipres was where his family was. He could care less about the world itself as there were apparently more like it but those few people meant a great deal to him.

Regardless of what may come of the future, he resolved that it couldn't have been a mistake that he'd met Sasami. It was her light that guided him to this door, which was the place he felt he needed to be at that moment. Maybe all she was meant to be for him was his compass pointing back to home but that was still something significant. He slowly reached out his hand and pressed his index finger to the doorbell. Before long, the brass knob of the wooden door twisted in response. Cupid remembered the last time he was there and how Sasami appeared on the other side without warning. This time he was prepared to see her. He looked ahead expectantly as the door bared way to reveal… Some guy.

"Hello." The young man with short cropped, jet-black hair greeted. He wore a brown and black tunic over blue jeans. "You must be Cupid." His expression was humble and genuinely cordial. Though he didn't seem significantly older than Cupid, his brown eyes expressed the type of wisdom one only obtains through personal experience.

"That's me." Cupid answered as he smiled amiably.

"I'm Tenchi Masaki." The young man stated. "It's nice to meet you."

"Tenchi." Cupid uttered in recognition. "Ayeka's boyfriend."

Tenchi's eyelids flew open like blinders. "What?!"

Cupid gathered by Tenchi's sucker-punch reaction that his assumptions were flawed. "Sorry, I just… The way Ayeka talked about you…"

"Oh, that…" Tenchi replied, disconcertedly. "Yeah, she tends to say things that give people certain impressions." He groaned.

"Don't look so down about it." Cupid reproved. "She's a little eccentric but on a scale of one to ten, I'd rate her looks on the high end of the spectrum."

"Oh, yeah, definitely! It's not that." Tenchi amended. "It's just… Deflection has become a survival tactic for me."

Cupid looked at him, nonplused.

"It's better understood if you saw my situation first hand." He resigned, waving Cupid inside. "Come on in."

Cupid followed Tenchi into the foyer, where he slipped his shoes off before the two proceeded into the living room.

"Sasami told me you've been here before." Tenchi stated.

"Yeah, once." Cupid replied. "But it was pretty brief."

"I think she's still finishing up supper but it shouldn't be too much longer."

"It's ok. I'm not in any rush." Cupid replied. From a hallway on the far end of the room, Ryo-Ohki poked her head out in query of the familiar voice.

"Miya?" She peered out inquisitively. Her expression came alive as she spotted Cupid. "Miya!"

"Ryo-Ohki! Hi again." Cupid called out, buoyantly. She capered out of the hallway and skimmed across the living room eagerly. Her loose white and blue skirt adhered to her adolescent curves as the air bound its fabric against her svelte figure. As she reached Cupid, she lunged out and wrapped her arms around him. Her body pressed into his in a way that felt a little too intimate for his comfort.

"There, there…" Cupid patted her unruly plume of hair as his body went tense with unease. "I missed you too." Despite his intention to calm her, she increased her affection, hugging him tighter as she nuzzled him like a feline. An audible yelp escaped Cupid as he felt her hips brush against him.

"You two hit it off pretty well I see." Tenchi said, noticing how well Ryo-Ohki had taken to him.

"I fed her carrot cake." Cupid sighed.

"Ah, that'll do it." Tenchi confirmed. Suddenly, the shoji door across the room slid aside and Mihoshi and Kiyone wandered in, engaged in a minor squabble. The door slammed shut behind them as if to bid good riddance.

"Are you satisfied? You got us kicked out of the kitchen." Kiyone complained.

"I couldn't help it, everything just looked so yummy!" Mihoshi replied.

"We were supposed to be helping prepare the food, not eat the ingredients."

"But, but… Isn't that a muffin behind your back?" Mihoshi pointed toward Kiyone's obscured hand.

Kiyone quickly stuffed the whole thing in her mouth at once, disposing of the evidence. "Ssho?" She retorted, words garbled by pastry blockage. "At leesht I gwabbed my shtash afftaah we werr awreddy kicked owwt."

Both girls froze in unison as they saw Cupid standing beside Tenchi, locked in Ryo-Ohki's adoring embrace. "Itsh yeew!" Kiyone exclaimed, muffin bits blowing out of her mouth as she pointed a finger at him.

"It's you!" Cupid said simultaneously, pointing back at her and Mihoshi.

Kiyone raised her hand, calling for a pause while she finished chewing her muffin. Cupid and Tenchi stood watching her awkwardly, awaiting her signal to proceed. She swallowed down her pastry before resuming her quarrel.

"Why are you still here? I thought you would've been gone days ago!"

"Oh yeah, because traveling across dimensions is so damn easy…" Cupid retorted, sarcastically.

"Well, you got to _this_ dimension easy enough. There has to be a way back. Did you speak to Professor Washu yet?"

"Professor who?"

"Oh my God!" She smacked her forehead. "What the hell have you been doing here, kid?"

"Get off my back." He said, annoyed by her attitude. "It's not everyday you get pulled into an alternate world. I wanted to check this place out while I had the chance."

"So, you guys also know each other." Tenchi observed, curiously.

"We found him floating out in space. I suggested he come here for help but apparently he's been shooting the breeze like he's on vacation."

"Stop overreacting. I'm here now. I'll talk to this professor of yours." Cupid looked over at Mihoshi who hadn't said so much as a word to him yet and noticed she had tears welling up in her eyes. Her bottom lip quivered as she gawked at him. "Mihoshi, you alright?"

She began to whimper until she could no longer hold back. "Cupiiid!" She cried out finally before running over and throwing both arms around his neck. "I thought I'd never see you again! I'm so happy you're still here!" Cupid's hormones were set afire as Mihoshi's ample breasts kneaded against him. In the dual embrace of Mihoshi and Ryo-Ohki, he was rendered powerless amidst the warmth of their plush anatomies. He could feel the blood rapidly rushing to his face as it threatened to spray from his nostrils at any given moment.

"Mihoshi, stop that!" Kiyone demanded, displeased by her partner's behavior.

"But I miss my friend!" Mihoshi protested childishly.

"You don't hug friends like that!"

"Why not?" She asked, genuinely baffled.

"You had a lot of guy friends back in high school, didn't you?" Tenchi asked wryly.

"Yeah, that's true now that I think back! They were so nice to me. How did you know?"

"Oh, call it a hunch."

"I said stop it!" Kiyone repeated. "You too, Ryo-Ohki!"

"Noooo!" Mihoshi replied, squeezing him tighter.

"Miyaaa!" Ryo-Ohki echoed, snuggling Cupid.

Yugi came bursting out of her room upstairs. She leaned over the railing and peered down into the living room. "What's all the commotion abou—" Her face went pale at the sight of Cupid wrapped in the arms of Mihoshi and Ryo-Ohki. Her mood quickly escalated into anger. "Get the hell off of him!" She ordered, leaping over the railing. She dropped down onto the living room floor and rushed over, wedging herself between the two girls as she attempted to pry them away from her crush. Despite her efforts, Mihoshi and Ryo-Ohki held tight, crying out in protest the whole time.

"Hey there." Cupid greeted, looking down at Yugi as she pushed and prodded with all her might.

"Hi Cupid." She replied, her heart aflutter as she met eyes with him. "I'll… Have you free… In a moment." She assured, tugging on Mihoshi's arm.

"My word, what's happening in here?" Ayeka inquired as she walked in from one of the adjoining areas of the house.

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Kiyone said shamefully. Ayeka stiffened at the sight of Cupid at the center of the scuffle.

"The flirt!" she growled before stomping over in his direction.

"Oh Lord, not you too…" Kiyone groaned.

"A little help here?" Cupid pleaded in Tenchi's direction, unable to raise his arms in defense under the grip of his admirers.

"Ayeka, what are you doing? Calm yourself." Tenchi implored.

Ayeka winded back her fist, ready to unleash a devastating blow.

"Don't you dare!" Yugi warned.

"Tenchi, control your girlfriend!" Cupid shouted. Ayeka seized up mid-punch, her fist coming to a halt mere inches away from Cupid's face.

"Did you… Did you just say 'girlfriend'?"

"Sorry, I just… The way Tenchi talked about you…"

Ayeka's eyes shot over in Tenchi's direction. "Oh, Tenchi…" She put her hands to her cheeks and started to blush.

"What? I didn't say anything! Cupid, what the hell, man?!" Tenchi protested.

"Oh, so when you said she was hot, that was a secret too? Sorry about that."

"That's not what I—."

"Lord Tenchi, you don't have to hide your feelings from me." Ayeka stated encouragingly as she rushed over to him and put her arms around his torso. She rested her head upon his shoulder. Tenchi slumped in resignation.

"Man, that was just dirty…" He objected, glaring over at Cupid.

"Deflection as a survival tactic; I think I get it now." Cupid grinned.

"That's not even _close_ to what I meant." Tenchi grumbled. Suddenly, Ayeka let out a howl of pain. Everyone looked over to find the upper half of Ryoko's body phased through the floor. She was hanging off of Ayeka's butt by the teeth.

"Oh, that's just wrong…" Kiyone cringed.

"Get off me, you beast!" Ayeka commanded as she rapped her fist into Ryoko's skull.

"Then get off my man, you skank!" Ryoko retorted, ascending completely out of the hardwood before settling onto her feet. "And what's this I'm hearing about you calling Ayeka your girlfriend?" She demanded, shooting a fiery glance at Tenchi.

"I didn't call her that!" Tenchi insisted. "Nobody's my girlfriend!"

"Ah, so that's deflection as a survival tactic." Cupid noted.

"Tenchi, you don't have to be shy just because we have a guest." Ryoko slipped behind him and draped an arm over his shoulder, tracing circles along his chest with her finger. Her other hand ran through this hair flirtatiously. Ayeka returned to her previous position in his arms, clasping all the more tightly to spite Ryoko's advances.

"Wouldn't you prefer a woman who holds you tenderly over someone who claws at you like a hawk swooping down on a badger?" She asked of Tenchi.

"Maybe he likes it rough." Ryoko offered. She whispered into his ear. "Is that how you like it, Tenchi?"

Shades of red emerged in Tenchi's cheeks. "Cut it out, this is really awkward." He retorted. "You know, this is your fault, Cupid." He began, looking over at his mischievous houseguest. "Aw, who am I kidding, this would have happened at some point in the day even if you weren't here..." He resolved, woefully.

The shoji doors slid aside once again as Noike and Sasami entered the room from the kitchen.

"Dinner's ready everyone!" Sasami happily announced. As she surveyed the scene, her expression changed to confusion. "Cupid?" She called out as her gaze locked upon him.

"Hi Sasami." Cupid waved at her sheepishly.

She noticed half the girls in to room clamored to him, which stoked the coals of her jealous rage. "Just what in the f—" Noike pulled her back just as she took a step forward to dole out some vengeance.

"You girls cut this out immediately!" Noike demanded with stern authority, prompting everyone to let go and straighten up all at once. It suddenly became clear to Cupid exactly who was the matriarch of the bunch.

"I said the same thing not ten minutes ago but no one listens to me…" Kiyone griped.

"Is this any way to behave in the presence of a new guest?" Noike continued. "Where are your manners?"

"I'm… I'm sorry." Mihoshi stated in sad-eyed repentance.

"Miya…" Ryo-Ohki hung her head.

"I wasn't a part of it. I just came down here to pull them away." Yugi proclaimed.

"No excuses." Noike chided. "We all need to be civil. This is a family. Yugi, you're one of the most levelheaded girls in the household. I know you can come up with a more effective way to settle things than jumping into the fray."

"Yes, Noike." She said, ashamed.

"Hmph. I'll grab my man in front of whoever I want." Ryoko grumbled under her breath. "You don't tell me what to do, you bowl-cut…"

"What was that, Ryoko? I couldn't quite hear you."

"Nothing… Sorry." She answered begrudgingly.

"And Ayeka…" Noike started.

"I know." Ayeka interjected, ashamedly. "I'm a princess. I should be setting a better example than this."

"I'm sorry, Cupid." Noike offered, turning her attention to him finally. "We're all excited to have you here. We'll try our best to express it more appropriately."

Cupid was amazed at how skillfully Noike suppressed a room full of colorful personalities. Her aura reminded him of someone he knew back home. "It's ok. I had fun." He smiled.

"I think you'll fit right in here." Noike smiled back. "I hope you're hungry. Sasami's really outdone herself this evening."

Sasami grinned proudly at Cupid.

"I can't wait." He said, grinning back at her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: No Need for Origins**

The dining room was filled with the smell of good food and the sound of mirthful conversation. The Masaki family sat around a long oak table covered in ornate patterned cloth. On its surface, a splendid cornucopia of bread, meat, and vegetables occupied its center, surrounded by plates and glasses. Amongst other things, there was golden tempura, noodles, steamed rice, grilled fish, and a delectable looking roasted chicken dish.

Ryo-Ohki sat at one end of the table, zealously eyeing a seasoned vegetable medley, which of course included a hardy blend of carrots. On the opposite end, Noike watched the others contently, happy to be gathered among loved ones. To her right, Ayeka was seated beside Tenchi with Ryoko sitting at his other arm. Both girls huddled close to him as if bounded by tether.

Across the table from them, Cupid sat at the center with Yugi to his left and Sasami to his right. Though neither of the girls made physical contact, their body language expressed the desire to be closer to him. Further to their left, Mihoshi sat next to Kiyone, sharing a laugh over a reminiscence of one of their adventures. There were only two members whom they were waiting on to join the table before dinner could commence.

Cupid couldn't believe his eyes. The presentation was absolutely stunning. His mouth watered in anticipation of tasting everything Sasami prepared that evening. If it tasted half as good as it looked and smelled, his palette would surely be gratified.

"Did you really do all of this, Sasami?" He questioned in awe.

"I didn't do it all myself." She admitted. "I had a lot of help from Noike."

"Sasami's being modest." Noike graciously informed. "This is all her creation. All I did was follow her instructions."

"Wow." Cupid uttered, thoroughly impressed. "You're amazing!"

Sasami blushed at his compliment. On the other side of Cupid, Yugi squirmed in envy of the attention she was receiving.

"Indeed, this is an eloquent meal." stated an older, grey haired man wearing spectacles as he pulled a chair from a corner of the table across from Cupid. He was tall and slender, a neatly trimmed mustache over his lip, and long hair tied in a bundle behind his back. "Hello, young man. I'm Katsuhito Masaki, Tenchi's grandfather." He sat down and pulled up to the edge of the table.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir. My name is Cupid."

"Cupid… Hmm." Katsuhito began, in a contemplating manner.

Cupid was sure this would be followed by the all too familiar 'bow and arrow' joke and braced himself for the delivery.

"That's a fine name." Katsuhito said finally, nodding in approval. Surprised by the endorsement, Cupid smiled proudly.

"Thank you." He said, feeling an instant sense of respect for Tenchi's grandfather. "Oh, where are my manners?" Cupid said, suddenly. "I suppose I should take this off at the dinner table." He lifted his pilot's cap and goggles from his head and placed them under his chair. He rustled through his crown of dark brown hair, awakening his loose curls from their matted state. They settled into a neat crop, which suited his boyish looks. Sasami studied him in silent approval. This was her very first time seeing him without his headgear.

"So cute…" Yugi sighed audibly. Cupid shot her a surprised glance and smiled curiously as she looked away feeling abruptly self-conscious.

"I have an idea." Sasami announced. "While we're waiting on Washu, how about I start the introductions?" She offered.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Cupid agreed enthusiastically, hoping to get a little more insight into this peculiar group.

"Great!" She said, gesturing across the table. "So, over there you have Tenchi, who you've already met."

Tenchi shot Cupid a salute.

"We all met him by fate ten years ago and he was kind enough to offer his home to us. We didn't know it at the time but as it turns out, Tenchi is one-quarter Juraian and a member of the Jurai royal bloodline."

"Jurai… That's an entire planet, right?" Cupid inquired.

"Yes, it's where my sister Ayeka and I were born!" Sasami proclaimed, proudly. "Yugi, and Noike are also from Jurai."

"Azusa Jurai, the current emperor of the planet, is our father." Ayeka added. "And Noike is the adopted daughter of our grandmother, Princess Seto Jurai."

"So, that would make Noike… Your aunt?" Cupid observed.

"That's right." Noike smiled in affirmation.

"So, if Tenchi is a member of the royal bloodline, he's related also, right?" He questioned.

"Lord Tenchi is the grandson of our older brother, Yosho." Ayeka replied.

Cupid did the biological math in his head. "Then, you and Sasami are his great aunts."

"Correct." Sasami answered.

Cupid peered over at Ayeka, who was snuggled up against Tenchi's shoulder in a way that exceeded mere kinship. "Ok, now I'm confused."

Ryoko laughed. "Oh yeah, there's plenty of inbreeding going down on old planet Jurai."

Ayeka reacted indignantly. "There is no stigma associated with inter-familiar pairings on my planet!" She stated defensively. "It's a perfectly normal relationship."

"This is true." Noike concurred. "Unlike other races, such as Earthlings, there are no biological repercussions when reproduction occurs within bloodlines. Therefore, it's not considered a taboo for an aunt, cousin, even a sister to marry her brother."

"That's pretty interesting." Cupid said. "What about you, Yugi?" He asked, turning his attention to her. "Are you also royalty?"

"No." She answered. "I'm not related to the royal family… Not exactly."

"Regardless, I love her like a sister." Sasami attested, encouragingly. Yugi smiled warmly at her.

"Why are so many members of the Jurai royal family living here in Okayama?"

"It's all because of Tenchi." Kiyone claimed. "We all have different reasons for coming here originally but he's the reason we've all stayed. His gift for bringing people together verges on supernatural."

"Being part of this group is so much fun!" Mihoshi agreed. "We're a family. I don't ever want that to change."

"Amazing…" Cupid uttered. He looked around the table at all these beautiful women who seemed content with this simple life, despite their stunning power and status. It was highly unconventional but it was still very much a family. Their bond was as strong as any he'd ever seen and at the center, holding it all together was Tenchi Masaki. Cupid wondered: was he _that_ charismatic or was there indeed something supernatural at force here.

"Where the hell is Washu?" Ryoko griped. "I'm starving over here! Five more minutes and we're starting without her!"

"I think she was tinkering around with something in her lab." Tenchi said. "She said she'd be out soon, don't worry."

"I haven't heard anything about you yet." Cupid nodded toward Ryoko. "What's your deal?"

"Ryoko's a vile space pirate!" Ayeka divulged in disgust. "In her career, she managed to bring twenty-eight planets and sixty-nine colonies to ruin. She nearly did the same to Jurai once."

"Yup, what she said." Ryoko confirmed, qualm-less with a cool shrug.

Taken aback, Cupid glanced over at Kiyone and Mihoshi. "You hang out with a destroyer of planets, yet you tried to haul me in because my ship wasn't registered?" he complained, astounded.

"We couldn't arrest her if we wanted to." Mihoshi clarified. "The statutes of limitations on her crimes have passed."

"What?" Cupid was blown away by her explanation.

"I know! Ridiculous, isn't it?" Ayeka concurred. "She should be locked away somewhere for the rest of her life!"

"Yeah, and I will be…" Ryoko assured. "With Tenchi in his bedroom."

"That will NOT happen!" Ayeka protested.

"Do you two always have to steer your battles toward me?" Tenchi moaned. "We were talking about Ryoko blowing up worlds; let's please go back to that!"

"Seriously, how long is the statute of limitation on destroying a butt-load of planets?" Cupid inquired.

"Hmm… About seven hundred years." Said Kiyone.

Cupid turned his head slowly toward Ryoko. "You're… Over seven hundred years old?"

"Five thousand give or take. I look good, don't I?" She batted her eyelashes.

"Maybe for an old hag…" Ayeka grumbled.

"Hey, you're no spring chicken yourself, Princess!" She retorted.

"I'll have you know I'm only seven hundred and twenty nine, which is like a toddler compared to you!"

"Eh… Sasami." Cupid began, in reluctant epiphany. "You're not really sixteen, are you?"

She looked down in her lap, embarrassed. "Well, physically I am… But in actual years, you can add about seven hundred to that number."

"I… see." He replied, trying to wrap his mind around that. He looked over at Yugi. "What about y—"

"Don't you dare ask." She growled, cutting him off.

"Me next, me next!" A voice called out from behind Cupid. "Ask something about me!"

Cupid turned in his seat to find a young green-eyed girl with a long, wild mane of red hair bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Who are you?" he questioned.

"I'm Washu Hakubi: scientist extraordinaire!" She proclaimed. "But please… Call me 'Little Washu', ok?" She twisted her fingertips into her dimples, coyly.

"Ok…" He answered, already gaining a sense for her eccentricities. She stood there for a long moment as if waiting for something to be done.

"Say it." She demanded, staring at him expectantly.

"Hi… Little Washu."

"Tee-hee! It just sounds so cute, doesn't it?" She squealed excitedly.

"Shut up and sit down already!" Ryoko shouted. "I wanna eat!"

"What did I tell you about speaking to your mother that way?" Washu chided as she walked around the table to take a seat beside Ryo-Ohki.

"M-mother?" Cupid said, perplexed.

"Cupid, maybe you should just stop asking them questions now." Yugi suggested. "Trust me, it just gets a lot weirder."

"Yeah, I think I'll take that advice…" He digressed.

"Ok everyone, let's eat!" Sasami joyfully announced, now that everyone was there.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" said Ryoko, piling chow onto her plate.

"Please allow me to serve you something." Sasami politely offered, taking Cupids plate into her hand. "What would you like?"

"Some of everything!" Cupid replied, eager to try it all.

Sasami giggled appreciatively.

"Good! I didn't know what you'd like so I put my best into everything." She reached into the fray as everyone collected a portion of the feast. Cupid felt honored that she went so far out of her way just for his approval.

She presented him with his plate, which had a colorful assortment of everything from the table. It was almost too beautiful an arrangement to disturb but he was damned if he wouldn't. He lifted his chopsticks from the table and picked up a piece of grilled fish from the platter. As he placed it into his mouth, his taste buds rejoiced in a symphony of rich flavors. He hadn't had anything that good since leaving Ciipres and maybe even longer than that. Sasami's skill in the culinary arts was beyond that of a mere home cook.

"This is just too delicious!" Cupid complimented.

"Really?" Sasami's face lit up. "I'm so happy you like it!"

Cupid tried another item from his plate, finding it equally savory; it wasn't just a fluke. Sasami really had a gift for cooking.

"So Cupid, I'm very interested in hearing your story." Katsuhito implored. "Please, tell us about your home."

"Miya!" Ryo-Ohki chimed in, expressing her mutual interest. Apparently, everyone wanted to hear about him as the whole table became quiet and all eyes turned to him with avid attention.

"Well…" Cupid began, figuring it was only fair. "In a lot of ways, Ciipres is just like Earth. Technology is more advanced there but for the most part, the people and the culture are alike."

"Did you live in a house like this one?" Tenchi questioned.

"No." Cupid replied. "I… lived in a palace."

Ayeka leaned forward in curiosity. "Then you're also royalty, like us?"

"Not exactly." Cupid sighed. "But I had no choice but to live that way."

"How come?" Kiyone asked, curiously.

"Because I share the same face with the emperor of my nation."

Everyone seemed puzzled by his explanation.

"You mean you have a twin?" Sasami asked.

Cupid shook his head in denial. His expression became somber as he lowered his eyes. "I'm a clone." He answered.

"Fascinating." Washu uttered, marveling at him.

"In my world, though most people are as average as the people here on Earth, there are a few who are born with preternatural abilities. Pharaoh Set was one of those individuals." Cupid explained. "Unknown to him, I was created by a military organization, using his DNA as a catalyst. Their goal wasn't simply to make an exact copy, they were trying to unlock something more; an amplified version with all of the abilities he possessed as well as a score of capabilities he lacked."

He looked up at Sasami. "For the first eight years of my life, my name was simply 'Twelve', as I was the twelfth attempt at the experiment and their first full success."

"Cupid…" Sasami uttered sympathetically as she placed both her hands on his.

"You're… Just like me." Yugi said with wide-eyed astonishment as she listened to the details of his life. Her mind flashed back to a time when she herself was treated like a lab rat, back on Jurai.

"How did the admirable name 'Cupid' eventually come about?" Katsuhito inquired.

"One day, my existence was discovered by the royal family." Cupid continued. "Set rescued me. I was afraid that he'd sentence me to disposal but instead of that, he accepted me into his family. It was his mother, Queen Sadasira, who gave me the name 'Cupid'." He grinned. "She said… It was because I brought new love into their home." He fought back tears as he revisited one of his happiest memories from his past. Besides, he didn't need to cry when Mihoshi was doing it for him.

"That's just…" She sniffled as the droplets began to trickle down her face. "The sweetest thing I've ever heard!" She wailed.

"Perhaps you were not born in the same manner as most children." Noike stated. "But it seems she was your mother."

Cupid smiled in acknowledgement. "Yeah… I guess she was." He felt that Noike's semblance was much like Sadasira's in nature. He felt it from the first time he heard her speak. For that reason he held an innate fondness toward her.

"But, regardless of the family I gained," He went on. "My life felt unfulfilled on Ciipres. That's the reason I decided to leave."

"What do you mean by 'unfulfilled'?" Yugi asked.

"You see, to those outside of the palace, my existence was kept a secret. In the rare occasion that I was allowed out, I was required to pose as Set or take on a completely different form altogether."

"So, you didn't really have your own identity." Tenchi recognized.

"Exactly. I just wanted to find a place where I could be who I am, my own person. But I never intended to go so far that I'd never be able to return."

"I understand now." Kiyone stated. "Who wouldn't want a life of their own?"

"Lord knows I understand what it feels like to be cooped away." Ryoko said. "Try seven hundred years in a musty old cave."

"Ugh, you win…" Cupid conceded, finding that scenario unfathomable.

"Thank you for sharing your past with us." Sasami said. "I feel like I know a lot more about you now."

"Me too." Said Yugi.

"Cupid." Washu called from across the table. "You interest me. Would you like to be my guinea pig?" She asked sweetly.

"Huh?!" Yugi jumped out of her seat and slammed her hands down on the table, causing plates to rattle. "Don't talk to him like that!" She ordered. Everybody stopped and gawked at her in surprise.

"Yugi?" Cupid gazed at her suspiciously, which caused Yugi to straighten up, self-consciously.

Ryoko snickered. "I think she likes you, Cupid. Can't you tell?"

Yugi gasped and quickly sat down again. She looked away from Cupid, her face changing a deep shade of red. He studied her, coming to realization that it was true. She wasn't denying it.

"Stop, Ryoko." Sasami reproached. Though she wasn't thrilled with Yugi's affinity for Cupid, she knew how it felt when those kinds of feelings were forced into the spotlight. She redirected the subject back to Washu.

"Washu, I think you can help Cupid. For that reason alone, maybe it's not a bad idea if you run a few tests."

"Excellent!" Washu subscribed blithely. "Our appointment is right after dinner so don't be late!" With that, she started shoveling food in her face, urgently.

"Are you sure she knows what she's doing?" Cupid whispered to Sasami.

"Don't be fooled by her appearance." Sasami reassured. "She's the absolute best at what she does."

"Well, I'm done." Washu announced, pushing aside a clean plate. "Are you done?" She asked, looking up at Cupid. "Let's get started then!"

"I'm not done." He stated, impassively. He took a bite of his tempura.

"You finished now?" Washu questioned anxiously.

"No…"

"Well, then hurry up." She coached. "Want me to help you eat that?"

"No, I think I've got this, thanks." He answered, getting annoyed.

"Holy shit, what's that?!" She exclaimed, pointing behind Cupid. He turned to look, finding nothing but a blank wall. As he turned back, he noticed that there was but a tiny morsel remaining on his plate.

"Aw, damn, yew misshhed it. Thabt wush one qwickt shpider!" Her cheeks were full as she chewed away on what Cupid could only assume was his missing meal. She swallowed it down. "Ah, I see you've finished your plate." She noted, approvingly. "You've got quite an appetite on you! Ready? Let's go!" With that, she hopped down from her seat and headed out of the dining room.

"Really?" Cupid demanded in vexation.

"You might as well get it over with." Sasami recommended, apologetically. "I'll save you a plate for later, I promise." She smiled.

"Alright, thanks Sasami." He got up from his chair and followed Washu's lead. When he entered the living room, he found her standing in front of an arched wooden door beneath the staircase. "Right this way, don't be shy." She instructed, pushing the door open. Its contents seemed like a dark void. Cupid couldn't see anything on the other side.

"What's in there?" He questioned.

"Just my lab." She replied. "Don't worry, it's mostly safe."

Cupid stepped toward it slowly and stopped right in front of the entrance. He thought it very strange that even as close as he was at that moment, he couldn't make out anything beyond the frame of the door. It was as if the room swallowed up light. He put one leg through and as he put his foot down, he felt something solid beneath it. Assured that he wasn't about to step into a deep hole, he went on through. Washu followed and the door shut behind them.

Yugi and Sasami came into the living room a moment later. "I want to see exactly what she's up to in there." Yugi declared, accusingly.

"Yeah, me too." Sasami agreed. "Washu's a great scientist but I've seen Ryo-Ohki run out of her lab enough times to suspect she gets carried away with her experiments now and then."

They crossed the living room and went into the arched wooden door together and it shut behind them. In a split second they came walking out of one of the doors upstairs.

"Um… What just happened?" Yugi asked, looking around in bewilderment.

"I don't know." Sasami answered, just as confused. They ran downstairs and went through the door again, only to come right back out of the same door upstairs once more. "Oh, no!" Sasami cried. "She's keeping us out!"

"God damn it, Washu!" Yugi exclaimed, peeved.

"Well, I guess all we can do now is be patient." Sasami suggested, starting her way back to the stairs. Yugi sighed and followed her down. They took a seat on the sofa and sat quietly in waiting.

After a while, Mihoshi wandered into the living room. "Where's Cupid?" She asked.

"He's in there with Washu." Yugi groaned, pointing back at the door.

"Oh, I wanna see!" Mihoshi said excitedly, dashing for the entrance.

"No Mihoshi, don't!" Sasami warned to no avail. Mihoshi darted inside the entrance to Washu's lab and came bursting out of the door upstairs, galloping headlong into the balcony railing. She spilled over and came crashing down onto the living room floor.

"Owieee…" She cried, sprawled out awkwardly on her back.

* * *

Inside Washu's lab, Cupid looked about in wonderment. It was a technological paradise arranged in contemporary fashion. Trees and foliage served to soften the atmosphere and make it earthy, despite the monitors and machinery that inhabited the domain. A source-less glow illuminated the space.

"How is this room so massive?" Cupid questioned, grasping for an explanation to his surroundings. "It's bigger than the house itself. This doesn't make sense."

"Simple." She explained. "My lab isn't actually located in the Masaki residence nor on the planet for that matter. The doorway we just went through was an inter-dimensional tunnel. We're now in a completely different plain of reality."

"That's amazing!" Cupid remarked.

"It's all elementary when you happen to be the universe's top scientist!" She gloated, winsomely.

Suddenly, two Washu puppets sprung up from behind her back. "Hail Washu! Number one genius!" They shouted in unison before disappearing the same way they came.

"The hell was that?!" Cupid questioned.

"What?" She replied, looking around behind her.

"Eh… Never mind." He digressed, deciding not to play the game.

Washu shrugged. "You're weird." She said dismissively. "Anyways, let's get to it!" She placed her hands on her hips. "First things first: Take off your clothes."

"Why?" Cupid asked suspiciously. "Is this part of the examination?"

"Uhhh…Yeahhh… Let's go with that." She answered. "Yep, all part of the exam." She grinned.

"Ok, if that's the procedure…" Cupid unfastened his belt buckle. As he slid his pants half way off of his hips, he glanced up to catch the lustful gaze in Washu's eye as she licked her lips. "You know what, I think I'm gonna keep these on…" He said skeptically, hiking his pants back up around his waist.

"Damn it!" She said, snapping her fingers in regret. "So close."

"Hey, are we gonna fool around in here or are you really gonna help me find some answers?"

"Both?" She offered, timidly.

Cupid gave her a scolding glance.

"Ok, ok…" She said, clapping her hands to summon a chair, which materialized from the floor. "Take a seat." She instructed.

Cupid walked over and sat down, reclining back in the ivory colored seat and placing his hands on its arm rests. Washu placed her palms together. When she spread them apart again, a translucent screen and keypad manifested itself before her. She typed in a few commands and various workbenches and tool cabinets phased into reality around them. She walked over and retrieved a syringe from a drawer of one of the bins.

"What are you gonna do?" Cupid questioned.

"I need to take a sample of your blood." She said.

"How come?"

"In layman's terms, everything has a universal frequency, whether it's a living being or a tiny pebble." She explained. "While matter in this dimension shares one distinct frequency, matter in the next dimension has a frequency that's slightly different. By examining your cells, it should help me determine which dimension _you_ originated from. Once that's discovered, it's only a matter of me configuring a tunnel in which to transport you back."

"I guess that makes sense." He said, turning over his left arm for her. She inserted the needle into his vein and the reservoir of the syringe filled with red as she drew back its plunger.

"There." She said, slowly drawing the needle from his skin. She turned and walked over to one of her workbenches. She released a drop of blood onto a slide and placed it into an analyzer. Data scrolled across the screen of her computer as Washu examined the results intensely. "What's wrong with this thing?" She uttered to herself, as it output information she didn't expect. "Computer, run it again." She commanded, prompting a new round of calculations.

"Find out anything?" Cupid asked curiously, sitting up to peer over her shoulder.

"Nothing yet." Washu answered. "Just relax and let me worry about the science."

"Ok." Cupid conceded, lying back down.

Washu studied the results once more. "This can't be…" She whispered to herself. She looked back at Cupid, unable to disguise the magnitude of her shock.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: The Chousin**

"W-what's the matter?" Cupid asked. Panic began to take root as he noticed Washu staring at him as if she were trying to determine whether or not he was real. Becoming aware of herself, she shook the expression off her face.

"Oh, nothing." She said. "Let's move on to some other tests. I'd like to find out more about your abilities."

"But what about my 'frequency'? What did you see?" He demanded, anxiously.

"It looks like it's going to be a while before I get some accurate results. We'll come back to that later."

"I see." He uttered suspiciously. "Alright then."

For the next two hours, Washu put Cupid through a battery of experiments, testing everything from his speed to his metamorphic properties. She strapped him into contraptions and probed him with strange devices. At certain points during the series of tests, he was hooked up to wires and cables that sent metabolic data into various computer programs, translating his vital responses into algorithms. By the time she was done, Cupid was exhausted. He shuffled lethargically over to his original seat and collapsed back onto it.

"Please tell me we're done…" He sighed.

"Ok. We're done." She announced with a grin.

"Thank God." Said Cupid. "I hope your curiosity is satisfied."

"It never is!" She cheerily proclaimed. "But I did gather a lot of good data from you. This tells me more about who you are than any words you could say."

"Not too sure how I feel about that." He said, perturbed.

Cupid got up from his seat and started to wander a little. Lying on a console where Washu was monitoring the progress of his examination, he noticed the pad she seemed to be scribbling notes in the whole time. It was covered with silly doodles and sketches that resembled a fat man with a curly beard being attacked by little airplanes that dropped bombs on his head. In his previous experiences, scientists tended to be cold and pragmatic by nature. He liked the fact that the greatest mind in the universe had a sense of humor.

"So we're really not on earth anymore?" He asked incredulously.

"Yep, that's right."

"That's so cool." He said in awe as he lifted off his feet and floated off to explore.

"Wait!" Washu shouted after him. "You break, you buy!"

Washu caught up and proceeded to give him the grand tour. Cupid listened keenly as she showed off many of her creations. He marveled, eyes wide and bright like a curious child. Washu was delighted to guide him through, happy for the company of someone with a genuine interest in her work.

* * *

Back in the living room, Yugi and Sasami were still waiting for Cupid and Washu to emerge while they flipped through channels on the television.

"They've been in there for hours…" Yugi griped. "If this goes on, there won't be time left for either one of us to spend with him."

"You're right." Sasami sighed, looking over at the clock on the wall. "It's going on seven o'clock now."

Ryo-Ohki entered the room and looked around. "Miya?" She said curiously.

"He's in there." Yugi answered, pointing back at the door again.

"Ryo-Ohki, don't—"

"Shhh!" Yugi hushed Sasami. "I wanna see this! It was funny when Mihoshi did it."

"That's mean…" Sasami reprimanded. "But I can't deny it _was_ hilarious." She conceded with a giggle.

Ryo-Ohki stared at them inquisitively.

"Well, aren't you gonna go in and see what Cupid's doing?" Yugi grinned. Sasami looked on, trying to stifle her smirk.

"Miya?" Ryo-Ohki said suspiciously as she gawked at the two. Finally, she strolled over to the entrance to Washu's lab and went inside.

Yugi and Sasami started to chuckle mischievously as they watched the door upstairs, expectantly. Five seconds passed, then ten, followed by fifteen as the grins on their faces melted away.

"She's… not coming out, is she?" Sasami noted.

"Then that means…" Yugi jumped up from the sofa and dashed for the door with Sasami close behind her. They both passed through the inter-dimensional tunnel together, coming out the other end inside Washu's lab.

"It worked!" Sasami exclaimed. "I guess that means she's done with keeping us out."

They looked ahead and saw Ryo-Ohki skipping off into the vast valley of Professor Washu's inventions.

"Ryo-Ohki, wait up!" Sasami called out. They ran after her and quickly caught up.

"Did you see them go this way?" Yugi asked Ryo-Ohki. The cabbit-girl shook her head in denial. "Well, they must be in there somewhere. Let's keep going." She said. The trio continued down the central path, peering left and right through the jungle of wires and machinery.

"Washu!" Sasami called out. Nothing came back but the whirring and beeping of mysterious devices. As they trekked deeper in, they finally came upon Cupid and Washu standing together, observing a tank of masses similar to those used in the creation of Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki. Cupid turned his head and gazed back at them, surprised.

"Oh, hey there!" He smiled.

"Miya!" Ryo-Ohki greeted."

"Cupid!" Sasami started, worriedly.

"Are you alright?" Yugi questioned with equal concern.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Washu protested. "I took good care of him."

"Washu was just explaining to me how Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki were born." Cupid said. "I guess she really is your mother, huh?" He said to Ryo-Ohki.

"Miya." She nodded, smiling.

"Yep, she's one of my little girls." Washu said proudly.

"Are you done in here?" Yugi inquired, impatiently.

"Yes, I think I've got everything I need." Washu replied.

"Good, then let's get out of here and find something fun to do!"

"Did you come up with a way for Cupid to see his family again?" questioned Sasami, full of hope.

"Hmm… Well, I'm still working on that." Washu answered, a little embarrassed. "But I should be able to tell him something in the next few days."

"Oh, ok." Sasami said, a bit surprised that Washu didn't have a more solid answer.

"Well then, let's go!" Yugi came forward and grabbed Cupid's hand. Ryo-Ohki took his other hand and they tugged him along, back toward the way they came in.

"Hey, I don't need to be lead like a little kid!" Cupid protested. They ignored it and kept pulling.

"Hold on Yugi, I'm coming!" Sasami said, starting behind them.

"Sasami." Washu beckoned, causing her to stop in her tracks and turn back. "Would you stay for a moment? There's something I have to say to you."

Sasami looked at her, puzzled. "Yeah, I guess so. What is it?"

"Tsunami, it's you I need to talk to." Announced Washu, in a serious tone.

Within a moment, Sasami's face lost its curiosity and took on an expression of wisdom. "I'm here, sister." She answered.

"About Cupid… I've found something profoundly troubling. We need to have a conference with Tokimi right away."

"Whenever you're ready." Tsunami replied.

"Sorry Ryoko, Tenchi, I'll need to take these back again for a little while." muttered Washu as she reached an arm out to her side. Suddenly, three small red gems shot through the atmosphere and gravitated to her hand. Washu absorbed them into her palm and they emerged on the surface of her forehead. Both Tsunami and Washu transformed into beams of light, firing out into the void of space and traversing dimensions until they finally floated within a sea of white light.

Washu's form was that of a woman far more mature than she appeared a moment ago, draped in lavish royal blue and gold vestments. Tsunami looked a little older than she did in her mortal body, the mark on her forehead was now two circular gems. An elaborate blue and white robe adorned her form. There drifted Tokimi before them, with malevolent purple eyes. She wore an ornate gold headdress over her light-brown tresses and an ivory banner flowed freely from her multicolored gown. Emerald markings wound their way around her cheeks. Two green gems were embedded above her brow.

"Welcome sisters." She greeted.

"Hello Tokimi." Washu replied. "I've requested this conference to discuss the matter of this young visitor, Cupid."

Tokimi chuckled. "So, you've finally seen it." She stated. " I can't say I'm surprised it took so long. Renouncing your powers has made you slow. However…" She looked over at Tsunami. "Our dear sister here must have felt it immediately, as I had."

"I did." Tsunami nodded. "Though it is very alarming, I didn't see the need to panic. I was working on finding out more about Cupid in my own way."

"Oh, I could see that…" Tokimi grinned.

"Then we have all realized…" Washu continued. "That of the twelve dimensions we've created together, and all of their sub-dimensions, Cupid was not conceived within any of them."

"Yes, that is the conclusion I have also come to." Tokimi pronounced.

Tsunami nodded in agreement.

"How is that possible?" Washu asked.

"I'm not sure." Replied Tsunami. "But it reveals how little we know about our own existence."

"The notion rocks me to my core…" Tokimi stated with concern riddled across her face. "Washu, surely you notice the discrepancy now that you've taken on your true form. The sum total of Kami essence throughout the twelve dimensions has increased exponentially since the time that Cupid arrived in the third dimension."

Washu gasped, suddenly realizing it. "Y-you're right… I can sense it. But surely Cupid is not the source of this fluctuation. Nothing in my tests revealed such."

"No, this is not purely due to the boy's presence." Tokimi concurred. "I've been observing him; creating situations that forced him to reveal his abilities."

"Yes, I noticed what you did at the Farmer's Harvest Festival." Tsunami stated in disdain.

"Oh, Please…" Tokimi dismissed. "That was extremely mild. To be honest, it was the meddling of one of your housemates that provided me with my best observations. That; I had nothing to do with. In any case, though the boy possesses impressive ability, it is nothing on the scale of this increase we're sensing."

"This power…" Tsunami spoke in reminiscence. "It reminds me of what I felt when Tenchi's Kami form nearly escaped its mortal shell eight years ago during his battle with Z."

"Exactly." Said Washu. "As frightening as the theory may be, I think we may have to explore the notion that worlds exist outside of what we've created. Which means that we as Chousin are part of a greater plan than we've realized."

"Yes…" Tokimi agreed, visibly trembling as she did.

"Deep down, somewhere inside, we suspected this." Said Tsunami. "This is the reason we were so compelled to conduct our experiments to uncover the existence of a being greater than ourselves."

"But then, this sudden influx of power…" Washu observed. "Something possesses the ability to traverse realities that even we don't have access to and it's here now. Cupid must be a byproduct of that event, sucked through because he happened to be nearby when the entity crossed."

"Or perhaps we should refer to it as a deity." Tsunami noted. "What does this mean for us, for our entire existence?"

"I don't know." Tokimi answered. "Whatever it is, it has yet to reveal itself or its purpose. I… I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm afraid."

"I don't blame you." Said Washu. "Unfortunately for Cupid, there is no known means to send him back to his home world. It's something even beyond us Chousin."

"Forget the boy!" Tokimi retorted with frustration. "That is not our obligation. We should dispose of him before he becomes an unforeseen threat."

"You will NOT touch him!" Tsunami shouted in anger. "None of this is his fault and he is not a threat to our domain!"

"You fool…" Tokimi retorted. "Your judgment is clouded because you share the girl's feelings for him! He was not spawned from our machinations, thus he is not something that can be reconfigured by our power if things go awry!"

"And why should he be? I don't believe in manipulating the destiny of mortals in the same manner as you. Isn't that why the Counteractor exists now?"

"I will deal with the Counteractor when the time comes." Tokimi answered.

"No harm will come to Cupid." Washu interjected. "For now, before we can decide his fate, we must find out what it is that breached the shell of our domain." She looked upon her sisters solemnly. "Now and forever, everything we thought we knew has changed."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Affinity and Animus**

Under the nebulous blue, a small bonfire smoldered near the lake of the Masaki homestead. Cupid convened within the company of Tenchi and the girls as they settled upon small, wooden logs, which encompassed the twisting yellow flames. Once again, Tenchi was sandwiched between Ryoko and Ayeka, a situation as volatile as ever, as they engaged in the never-ending tug of war for his affections.

"Ryoko, you're still holding it too close. Don't rush it." Tenchi instructed.

"But I like to watch it bubble up!" She said admiring the broiling stack of marshmallows skewed on the end of her wooden stick.

"You're burning the hell out of it." Tenchi denoted. "Ease up a little bit."

"Like this, Tenchi?" Ayeka interposed, daintily extending her own marshmallow towards the orange glow of the crackling blaze.

"Wow, that's perfect, Ayeka." He complemented at the golden brown exterior of her roasting confection.

"Hmph, her marshmallow might look pretty but I bet mine tastes much better." Ryoko scoffed. "Here Tenchi, take a bite of this." She insisted, brandishing her blackened sugar clusters in his face.

"No way!" He said, turning his nose up. "Those things look like charcoal briskets."

"Come on, Tenchi! They aren't that bad." She whined. "Here, I'll show you." She plucked one from the end of the stick and tossed it into her mouth. It crunched as she bit down. Ryoko paused for a long moment, her eyes widening. "Bleeehhh!" She spit it into the grass and dragged her ash-coated tongue across her sleeve.

Ayeka burst into riotous laughter. "What a thick-headed imbecile!" She doubled over, holding her side as she coughed out the last of her chuckle. As she wiped away at the tears in the corners of her eyes, Ryoko swapped out the princess's perfectly toasted marshmallow with one of her soot nuggets. "Serves you right for not listening to what people tell you." Ayeka lectured as she regained her composure. Without looking, she bit into the onyx colored chunk on the end of her stick. She chewed on it for a moment, rolling its flaky texture around on her tongue, gradually realizing something amiss as the smoky, charred zest spread over her palette. Her face paralyzed in an expression of utter revulsion. "Puuuuuggghhhh!" She spat out a chalky black glob.

Ryoko fell off her log and rolled on the ground, cackling hysterically.

"That was not my marshmallow!" Ayeka shouted angrily.

"No shit." Said Ryoko, mockingly swaying Ayeka's beautifully braised treat through the air before chucking it into her mouth. "Mmmm, I gotta hand it to you, princess" She said, chewing away. "You make one mean marshmallow. How about whipping me up another one?" She demanded.

"Oh, I'll be whipping something up alright…" She said, rolling up the sleeves of her kimono as she stood up from her perch.

"Need I remind you girls of the promise you made to remain civil tonight?" Noike chimed in, sitting to the right of Ryoko.

Ayeka sighed dejectedly. "No…" She said, settling back onto her seat.

"I did it!" Mihoshi exclaimed, raising her stick in triumph as a nicely seared marshmallow steeped at its tip.

"Nice job!" Tenchi exclaimed.

"Beginner's luck…" Ryoko grumbled under her breath.

"It looks so yummy!" Mihoshi lauded before yanking it from the end of her stick and shoving it entirely into her mouth. As she bit down, the grin faded from her face and she started to whimper.

"What's wrong, Mihoshi?!" Kiyone asked worriedly, sitting to her left.

"It's h-h-hot!" She dropped her mouth open, panting in and out in an attempt to cool the contents of her mouth with the lake breeze.

"What did you expect, silly? It just came off the fire. Next time, be patient!" Kiyone shook her head in contempt. "Here, I'll get you another one." She went over to the basket of marshmallows and crouched down. "There you go." She said, reaching out to hand one to Mihoshi."

"Thanks Kiyone." She said, retrieving it from her friend's hand. She pierced it with her stick and held it out onto the flame, determined to win the next round.

Kiyone took another handful of marshmallows and grabbed a branch from the pile near the basket. "I doubt it's as complicated as you're all making it look." She said, situating the marshmallows at the end of her twig. "I think I'll try it out."

Mihoshi's new attempt suddenly burst into flames. "Oh no!" She panicked. "What do I do?! What do I do?!" She flailed her stick wildly through the night air.

"Don't do _that_!" Noike shouted, looking on in horror.

Mihoshi's flaming marshmallow flew off the end of her stick into Kiyone's hair. Kiyone froze up as she felt something hit her in the back. "Please tell me that wasn't what I think it was…"

"K-kiyone, you're hair's on fire!" Noike exclaimed, looking around for something to snuff it out with.

Kiyone broke into frenzy, reaching over her shoulders in a desperate attempt to bat out the flame.

"Hold on, I've got this!" Ryoko declared confidently, standing up. She stomped over and started swatting wildly at the back of Kiyone's head with both her hands.

"Ouch, ouch! You're not helping! Move the hell out of my way!" Kiyone got up and shoved her aside before running away and taking a flying leap toward the lake. She cannonballed through the surface with a violent splash. A moment later, she came crawling out of the water like a swamp monster with her long green hair wetly matted to her face. She swept it aside, revealing a vengeful glare.

"Kiyone, I'm sorry!" Mihoshi shouted, nervously, feeling the daggers of her gaze. Kiyone stood up and approached slowly with an expression of ill intent. "Nooooo, I'm so sorry!" Mihoshi repeated even more fervently.

"Mihoshi…" Kiyone growled, stalking ever closer.

Mihoshi stood up and began to back away slowly. "Kiyone, it was just a mistake…" She atoned. "I didn't mean to roast your head, you've gotta believe me."

Suddenly, Kiyone bolted forward and Mihoshi turned tail, tearing into the darkness as she bawled like a baby. Kiyone gave chase behind her, water flying off her back.

"No Kiyone!" Noike shouted. She jumped up and ran after the pair.

Cupid, Yugi, and Ryo-Ohki howled with laughter. "You girls are funny as hell!" Cupid said. "Is it always this way?"

"Never a dull moment…" Tenchi replied.

Cupid twisted his wooden skewer slowly over the fire, chuckling at the distant sound of Noike's voice, commanding Kiyone to calm down. "It seems like Noike is the designated peacekeeper around here." He observed. "Why is that?"

"According to Mihoshi, Noike has always been that way." Said Tenchi. "They were partners in the Galaxy Police force before Noike was reassigned to the Jurai region."

"The truth of the matter is, Noike now works for my grandmother, Seto." Ayeka interjected. "She was assigned here in a supervisory role."

"So, basically she's your babysitter…" Cupid said.

"Sounds about right." Ryoko retorted.

"If you'd like to put it that way, then she's yours too." Ayeka said to Cupid. " I'm sure you've noticed that most of us living here possess some form of extraordinary ability. The idea that we've gathered under one roof is viewed as troubling for some, as we are considered a force uncontrolled by any particular nation under the Galactic Union. I would suspect that your arrival in the region has been made known to Jurai's High Council, or at the very least, Lady Seto, even though you technically aren't a member of the Masaki residence."

"Should that concern me?" Cupid asked.

"That means you should probably be on your best behavior." Tenchi advised.

"Cupid, am I doing this right?" Yugi questioned beside him, timidly holding her marshmallow toward the flames. "I don't want to burn it, like Mihoshi."

Cupid spiked his own stick into the dirt beside him and reached out to her. "A little closer." He said, putting his hands on hers as he helped her guide the branch toward the flame.

A wave of warmth washed over Yugi and her face glowed a bit brighter; neither effect being the cause of the fire before her.

"There, that's good. Just close enough to toast it." He looked at her and she watched the flames dancing in his eyes. "See there?" He nodded toward the marshmallow at the end of her stick. "When you see a little bit of smoke, it means it's time to turn it." He rotated the branch beneath her grip. "Just repeat that until all sides are nice and golden."

"I see." Said Yugi, smiling. "You're a good teacher."

Tenchi, Ryoko, and Ayeka watched on from the other side of the bonfire. "So, what do you think?" Ryoko asked, voice low enough to be unintelligible across the snapping flames. "Do you think Yugi's gonna get her man?"

"If anyone is going to be with Cupid, it'll be my little sister." Ayeka objected.

"I don't know." Tenchi shrugged. "I think they both have a pretty good shot."

"I'm not playing favorites." Ryoko resigned. "Either way, it's one less potential competitor around this house."

"That _is_ what matters most." Ayeka agreed.

"I'm sitting right here, you know." Tenchi groaned. "I hate when you guys talk about me like I'm some sort of Olympic gold medal."

"That's only because you're a treasure to me, Tenchi-pie!" Ryoko cooed.

"Careful Lord Tenchi." Ayeka warned. "Pirates like to bury their treasure."

"Ah, go bury your face in the sand." Ryoko retorted.

"Want another one, Ryo-Ohki?" Asked Cupid, offering her a marshmallow from his branch.

"Miya!" She answered, reaching out enthusiastically before taking it into her hands. She bit half of it apart and proceeded to lick away at its gooey center like a cat with a saucer of milk.

"Sorry I'm late!" Sasami called out as she rushed over to the circle from the house.

"I was starting to wonder if you were coming out." Cupid said, curiously.

"Yeah…" Yugi said a little disappointed that her exclusive moment with Cupid was ending. "What did Washu want, anyway?"

"Oh, she just wanted me to return this to Ryoko and tell her she's the one who had it." She held out her hand, offering the small, red gem back to Ryoko.

"I figured it was her…" Ryoko said, taking the jewel and absorbing it back into her wrist. "She's the only one who can snatch it away from me on a whim. Curse that woman…"

Sasami scuttled around the circle and lifted the log Mihoshi had previously occupied. She carried it over and plunked it down between Ryo-Ohki and Cupid, much to Ryo-Ohki's sulking disapproval.

"Hi Cupid!" She smiled warmly.

"Hey Sasami." He grinned back. He tugged a toasted marshmallow from his skewer. "Try one?"

"I'd love to, thank you!" She said, gratefully. She took it from his hand and bit into it slowly. "Mmm, it's delicious!" She exclaimed.

"Wow…" Ryoko uttered, watching from across the fire. "Maybe I should be taking notes from your little sister. She's a natural flirt."

"Oops, you got some on your lip." Noted Cupid, tapping a finger to the bottom of his own mouth.

Embarrassed, Sasami wiped at the corner of her mouth with the tip of her finger.

"Wait, I got it." Cupid said. He reached out and wiped it away from her bottom lip with his thumb. "There you go, all better."

Sasami blushed. "Thanks." She looked away into the night at nothing in particular as she smiled to herself.

"Oh, that is just too cute!" Ayeka gushed in a half whisper. She looked over at Ryoko. "What do you think you're doing?!" She questioned, noticing marshmallow goo liberally smeared all over the space pirate's chin.

"Tenchi, do I have something on my face?" Ryoko questioned sweetly.

Tenchi looked at her. "Nope…" He said before turning back to the fire.

"A-are you sure? Because I'm pretty sure I can feel something sticky in this region right over here." She circled the whole lower half of her face with her index finger.

Tenchi looked at her once more. "Nah, sorry Ryoko, not seeing it…" He stated, turning away again.

"Grrr… Lick it off me, damnit!" Ryoko demanded, grabbing him by the collar of his tunic.

"Not gonna happen, forget about it." Tenchi asserted with stern resolve.

"Oh, just stop it, Ryoko." Ayeka implored. "You're ruining the moment!"

* * *

Tarant Shank paced about the room in restless fury. "Why won't you help me do this? Didn't you say these were the same cops involved in your imprisonment?" He snarled at his cohort with scornful contempt.

"Indeed they are part of the group that dealt irreparable harm to my reputation." Answered the man with the silver beard, which curled at their ends in five grand loops. Three more curls extended from the back of his large, insignia emblazoned, bulbous black hat to create an outlay that one might say resembled the anatomy of an octopus. His left eye appeared as a dark amber stone sunken within the aging features of his hazel skin. "But only a fool would confront a group that powerful without a proper plan. Not to mention, we're both heavily restricted from that sector. Our very presence there would earn the full focus of the Galactic Union. We'd have to take on an army just to reach the surface!"

Tarant took hold of the front of the man's crimson red robe. "That is why I'm asking you to create something to get me close enough to Earth. You owe me this, Dr. Clay! I helped you escape from that God forsaken prison six years ago!"

"I owe you nothing!" Dr. Clay shot back, shrugging out of his grip. "For helping me out of prison, I restored your lost limbs, made you whole again. I manufactured a new fleet of ships for your use so that you could reclaim your status as the most feared pirate in the galaxy! What more do you suppose I owe you?"

"You mean you manufactured a fleet of shit!" Tarant shouted. "They tore through one as if it were made of paper."

"Those ships were crafted from quality!" Clay objected. "It's not my fault you just so happened to pick a fight with members of _that _group."

"You're a coward!" Tarant growled. "I forgot octopuses don't have spines."

"On the contrary." Answered the doctor. "I will have my revenge on those people. But to deal with a force such as they, one must employ measures outside of the box. Bear with me a while longer. When the time comes, we can take vengeance upon them together."

"I like to enjoy vengeance alone." Tarant spat. "I'm not leaving your ship until you give me what I want! You say you're a genius; come up with a way to get me on that planet! That's all I need."

Dr. Clay shook his head in remorse. "The prestige you managed to regain…You're going to throw it all away again, and for what?" He turned and walked out of the conference room as Tarant proceeded to flip the table and hurl chairs about in blind rage. He paced down the long, dimly illuminated corridor past several doors to chambers of various purposes until he reached the entrance to the bridge. He punched a code into the keypad at its side and the entrance slid open.

"I apologize." He stated humbly, entering the room. "That was an unexpected guest."

The captain's chair turned about to face him. Seated within it was a young man with alabaster hair that slicked back and twisted up at the base of his skull in a manner akin to the tail of a scorpion. A thatch from each of his temples flourished out, winding into claw-like posture. His skin was like pristine powder, pale and devoid of pigment. Yellow gems encircled his left eye, which was one half of a pair as blue as an ocean.

He sat with one leg crossing the other, dressed in an all black ensemble with intricate gold trim patterns twisting throughout the length of his coat like tendrils of smoke. His slacks contoured his legs, extending down into the cusps of his long, sharp-toed boots. He propped his chin up nonchalantly with a clenched fist, peering at the doctor with disenchanted eyes.

"Dr. Clay, your friend seems quite passionate." He remarked, the stars behind him through the expansive viewport. "Care to enlighten me on the situation?"

"You were able to hear us from here?" Clay questioned, surprised.

The young man ignored the doctor's question while he awaited the answer to his own. The temperance of his expression was oddly threatening.

"S-sorry. That man is Tarant Shank, an unfortunate acquaintance of mine." Clay answered. "We were cell mates in a maximum security asylum some time ago. Believe me, my association with him is simply a means to an end."

"There's no need for self-reproach." The young man replied. "It's seldom beneficial to have associates in both high and low places. Such is the reason I'm entertaining this meeting with you."

"Yes, Lord Pegys. I am humbled by your presence."

"Finish the story."

"Oh, yes." Clay proceeded, apologetically. "Shank… He's gone quite mad with revenge. Ironically, this was the same state he was in when we first met, endlessly cursing a Galaxy Police officer by the name of Seina Yamada, claiming that his honor was stolen. It was that blind thirst for revenge that consumed him until he was no longer able to function as the pirate he once was.

His previous series of attempts on that officer's life cost him half of his body; He was a cybernetic abomination. As reward for his assistance in my escape from the asylum, I restored his cells with my technology. I took the liberty of also installing an inhibitor in his brain to curb his vengeful obsession.

The procedure was successful and he was finally able to cast off his tunnel vision and return to his former glory. However, the inhibitor didn't eliminate his appetite for revenge, but merely contained it in a part of his mind his conscious didn't have access to. It was apparently accumulating there for the past several years. This recent defeat must have overloaded the inhibitor, causing all of his pent up resentment to come rushing to his consciousness at once, like a broken levee. His need to go to Earth to exact revenge must be his way of channeling the flood."

"Seems like the result of shoddy work on your part." Noted Pegys, much to Clay's chagrin. "But you yourself are a man fueled by revenge, are you not?"

"The Goddess Tokimi…" He gnashed his teeth as her name tainted his tongue like bitter poison. "She used me as her pawn and when she was through with me, she let me take the fall when it was well within her power to save me. She even had my memories erased in an attempt to conceal her existence.

Little did she know, this left eye of mine has a mechanism built into it, which stores fragments of whatever it witnesses. Once I reassembled the truth of the events, I dedicated all my research to trying to find her again and discover a way to diminish her power." His expression became stoic. "Tokimi is an entity that uses the universe as her plaything. My qualm with her is more than simple revenge. One might even call it a selfless crusade to rid the universe of an ultimate evil."

Pegys rolled his eyes. "I have more respect for a man who doesn't attempt to disguise his spite for something noble."

Dr. Clay's expression faltered in a twinge of guilt.

"This planet that Tarant Shank wants to travel to…" Pegys continued. "It's the home world of Tenchi Masaki; the humanoid you claim to have witnessed wielding God power?"

"That is correct."

"Tell me, is it truly insanity when a man fights to reclaim the one thing that would make him feel whole again?"

"If he knows that his adversary is more than capable of thwarting him." Clay answered.

"That is indeed a question worth knowing the answer to…" Pegys stated, contemplatively. "Let us find out."

"What do you mean?"

"I will provide a means for Tarant Shank to reach Earth. Then, we will discover if all you've told me about this Tenchi Masaki is true."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Fall from the Sky**

Yugi pushed open the gate of the chain link fence that surrounded the front yard of Taki Miyake's home. The soles of her brown ankle boots clicked upon the cobblestone walkway as she strolled through the unkempt landscape, riddled with weird steel art made from old farming machinery. The cool afternoon breeze ruffled the hem of her navy blue, plaid pleated skirt. She wore a thin sable jacket over a white button-down blouse and black knee stockings.

Stepping up onto the cement porch, she rapped on the front door of the small, mundane cottage. A few seconds passed and the blinds rattled in the window beside the door as a beady pair of spectacled eyes peered through at her. The blinders snapped back into place and the sound of unhinging locks clicked away before the door swung open.

"It's you again…" Taki stated sourly, standing there in a white t-shirt three sizes too small, beige cargo shorts, and flip-flops. "Come to destroy the rest of my crops?"

Yugi cringed at his exposed navel as his top struggled to cover up the spread of his hairy gut. "No, not today." She replied, mockingly. "I just wondered if Cupid was around."

Taki gave her a sideways glare. "You're not even sorry about smashing up my tomatoes, are you?" He questioned bitterly. "Those vegetables are my livelihood. They're what I survive off of."

"I would have thought it was cake…" She muttered, gesturing at his stomach.

"Oh, ha, ha, freaking ha!" He derisively retorted. "You're just the female version of _him_, aren't you?"

Her expression perked up at the remark and she smiled at Taki as if to say 'thank you'.

He shook his head in repugnance. "Just stay right here." He instructed, rudely shutting the door in her face. A few minutes passed as Yugi stood there, looking about restlessly at the lawn sculptures, the landscape, the blue sky… Finally, the front door opened once again.

"Yugi." Cupid looked at her questioningly as he stood there in a blue and grey hoodie and jeans, donning his signature pilot's cap and goggles.

"Hi Cupid." Yugi greeted coyly, rocking to and fro on her heels with her hands folded behind her back.

"What brings you here?" He asked, surprised.

"I just wanted to see you." She timidly explained. "Is that ok?"

"The first time you came to see me, it was for Sasami."

"Yeah…"

"And this time?"

"This time it's for me." She stated.

"What changed?"

"Meeting you."

He sighed out of respite. "How is she going to feel about this?"

Yugi shrugged. "She knows I like you."

"Does she know you're here now?"

She looked away, hesitating to answer. "No… But what does it matter? I don't need her permission to see you."

"I just don't wanna be the cause for any fall-out between you two."

"Cupid, it's alright. Don't worry…" She grinned to reinforce her insistence that everything was copacetic. "Let's play a game!" She said, abruptly changing the subject.

"A game?" He asked, thrown by her offhand request. "Yugi…"

She punched him in the shoulder. "Tag, you're it!" She giggled. "Home base is Okayama Castle!" With that, she bolted into the sky. Cupid looked on, confused about what just occurred. Based on their encounters up to that point he began to get the sense that Yugi was a bit childlike. Perhaps due to his own diminished childhood, he found it difficult not to indulge in her challenges. He shook his head in surrender and took off after her.

Yugi fleetly soared over the fields. Looking back, she could see the speck in the distance that was Cupid, steadily closing the gap between them. She veered off toward a large, winding creek. As she glided over its surface, she dipped low and kicked her feet, creating a splash trail behind her.

Cupid was hit with a face full of water. "Ah shit, that's cold!" He wailed, swerving out of the way. She chuckled playfully and increased her speed, shooting into a nearby forest. Cupid pursued her, threading his way through an obstacle course of tree trunks and branches. Up ahead, he saw Yugi pitching and yawing in a flurry of twists and tumbles. "Catch!" She shouted as she twisted around and hurled a six-foot branch in his direction. Cupid shirked left as it whizzed past and Yugi laughed at him.

"You bitch…" He griped, unappreciative of her lack of caution.

Yugi came bursting out the other end of the forest, heading towards the outskirts of the city. She peeked behind her, finding that Cupid no longer gave chase. She figured it had to be a trick; surely he wouldn't give up that easily. There was a small train station converging ahead of her.

She swooped down, making a landing on the platform near its small waiting lobby. A couple of patrons seated inside saw her come down and fled the scene. She turned and looked out into the direction of the forest but there was still no sign of her playmate. She started to survey her surroundings skeptically, recalling his ability to take on different forms.

"Excuse me, young lady." A man's voice called out. She turned to face a tall, grey-haired, middle aged man dressed in the uniform of a train conductor. "You look lost. Is there something I can help you with?"

Yugi examined him closely. He was about the same height as Cupid. However, nothing about his face resembled the young man, except… His eyes; they were the same color as Cupid's. Yugi began to snicker, which turned into a giggle, finally breaking out into a full-on laugh.

The conductor looked at her strangely and then started to laugh nervously. Infected by her fit of hilarity, his merriment increased along with hers until they were both hunched over, holding their sides and roaring with laughter. As their glee winded down, Yugi straightened up, wiping the moisture from the corners of her eyes. "That was a nice try." She said before blasting him clear off the platform with a bolt of energy.

She could hear the sound of his body collapsing onto hard pavement. "Oh God, my back…" The man groaned from down below. "What the hell was that? Somebody help me!"

"Uh-oh." Yugi murmured ruefully. Out in the distance, the shriek of a train's siren resonated. She walked to the edge of the platform and peered down the track at the rapidly approaching convoy. Given the speed it was traveling, it didn't look like that station was going to be one of its stops.

She turned back toward the waiting lobby, contemplating what to do next. Cupid's game of hide and seek was starting to bore her and she began to wonder if he'd actually ditched her after all. The cab of the train came down the track, screaming behind her, violently flipping her jacket and skirt about. Its passenger cars followed suit in a blur of steel and glass.

"You're it!" A voice rang out through the commotion as Yugi felt a tap on her shoulder. Startled, she shot a glance at one of the cars that passed, spotting Cupid, standing straight out on its side as if gravity had him in a horizontal pull. He grinned and saluted her, speeding off down the track.

"That boy…" She giggled, springing into the air after him.

Cupid flipped himself onto the roof of the train. As it cut through the broad, sweeping valley, he looked ahead to see a mountain tunnel in the closing distance. Looking back, he could see Yugi trailing behind, which he thought was strange; she was faster than the locomotive he was currently riding upon. She was clearly biding her time, but for what, Cupid had no idea. He sat Indian style as the train began its way through the tunnel.

As he slipped through, everything went dark, a bit too dark even for a tunnel. He raised a hand in front of his face and couldn't make out the trace of his fingers. In fact, the sound of the train was no longer present. The atmosphere went thick, like being submerged into water but there was no moisture on his skin.

Gradually, waves of ambient light began to form around him like the Aurora Borealis. It illuminated the space around him, revealing a vast plain beneath a sky both dark and vibrant all at once. White, translucent dragons performed an aerial dance amid the violet firmament, careening through multicolored gems, which hung in the air, suspended by an unknown force. Crystalline mountains towered in the distant panorama, inhabited by strange goat-like creatures. Majestic, wooly quadrupeds stomped through the vales, moaning their songs to one another.

Cupid sat there upon solid ground in the same position he was in before entering the tunnel, wondrously taking in the spectacles around him. "What is this?" He uttered.

"This is my world." Yugi answered, suddenly beside him as if she were sitting there the whole time. She gazed along with him, proudly. "Washu's not the only one who knows how to slip through dimensions." She boasted. "But, this is the only one I can travel to on my own."

"How?" He asked, looking at her in astonishment.

"I don't know. It's just something I could always do. Just like all my other abilities."

"This is odd…" Cupid remarked. "But amazing."

"I started from scratch." She described. "There was nothing here in the beginning. I created everything you see."

"Is this real?"

"No…" She said, sadly. "None of this would last for very long if I brought it into the real world. But here, it lasts as long as I wish. I guess you can think of this zone as the inside of my mind. It stores my imagination."

Cupid looked at her in query. "Don't take this the wrong way but what are you?"

"You and I are the same." Yugi replied. "Like you, I was born in a laboratory, enduring the experimentations of people who called themselves doctors. I had no family, no friends. The only company I had were the things I created."

"That's hard." Cupid lamented.

"Yeah, it was. When there was an opportunity for me to see the world outside, of course I took it. But, my value of life wasn't realistic. When I create something from my mind, even if they're destroyed, I can recreate them. Real people are different. It took me some time to realize that." Her expression was solemn. "I hurt a lot of people because I didn't understand that they weren't like the things I made. Because of that, I was sealed away and banished for thirty-five hundred years. All I wanted was to play with real people… At least once."

"Loneliness hurts, more than anything else I know." He sympathized. "I can't imagine being locked away for so long."

"I wouldn't change it." She shrugged. "If it happened any differently, I wouldn't have met Sasami." She explained. "Or you."

Cupid smiled at her.

"I brought you here for two reasons." Yugi confessed. "Besides Sasami, you're the only person I've ever invited here. I wanted to show you who I am."

"Thank you for sharing this with me, it's really something."

Yugi leaned in toward him and kissed his cheek, which caught Cupid by surprise. It was a sweet gesture that somehow conveyed all the sincerity of her admiration for him. Tender and lingering, it touched his heart. Looking over at this wild-spirited, mysterious girl who looked back at him with 'kiss me' eyes, he was confronted with his own feelings, deeply conflicted as he suddenly realized there were two girls in this alternate universe that he was developing feelings for.

Feeling emotionally vulnerable, he tried to divert attention away from the moment. "You said there were two reasons for bringing me here. What's the other?"

"Well..." Her expression winded into a playful grin. She punched her fist against his shoulder. "You're it!"

The world began to strip away from around the two, revealing a sunlit blue sky. The atmosphere became clear again as dragons were replaced with birds. When Cupid looked down beneath him, he noticed that he was sitting upon the roof of the Okayama Castle's main tower. Peering down over its edge, he could see tourists and caretakers roaming about the castle grounds.

"I win." Yugi chuckled.

"You're such a cheater." Cupid complained as she continued to laugh.

* * *

Tenchi was holding a basket of radishes as he stood at the front door of the home belonging to his high school friend, Ikeda Yamauchi. However, it wasn't a social calling; it was strictly business-related. Tenchi had started a small vegetable sales and delivery route some time ago at the behest of Noike, who offered to help him run it. To his surprise, Ikeda was on his customer list this week.

The two hadn't spoken for at least two years, which Tenchi had to admit was his own fault. He'd managed to drift apart from all of his childhood friends since the advent of the girls' arrival in his home; it was best that way. With friends, came the expectation of the occasional visit, which was a situation Tenchi just couldn't risk, given the nature of his unorthodox family.

With a reluctant sigh, he reached out and knocked on the front door. A few moments passed and just as Tenchi reached out to knock once more, the door swung open. Ikeda gawked at Tenchi with unabashed surprise.

"Tenchi Masaki? As I live and breathe…" He uttered. "What has it been? Two, three years?"

"Yeah, just about." Tenchi confirmed a bit embarrassed.

"It's good to see you, man! You're like the town hermit now."

Tenchi cringed. "Come on, that's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?"

"Nope, everyone wonders what goes on in that house of yours. You're an Okayama legend. But I can't say I blame you. If I lived in a house full of gorgeous women, I wouldn't come up for air either!" He winked at Tenchi and nudged him in the arm with his elbow.

"It's not like that, really." Tenchi insisted.

"Yeah, whatever you say, Japanese Caligula." Ikeda jested.

"Hey, don't call me that, you bastard!"

"Easy now, I'm just ribbing you! Geez, you really are just as touchy as you were in high school, aren't ya?" Ikeda patted him on the shoulder. "So, what brings you by all of a sudden, pal?"

"Didn't you order four pounds of radish from me?"

"Oh, that was your business I ordered from? I had no idea."

"It's called 'Tenchi Masaki Produce'."

"Is it now?" Ikeda questioned contemplatively.

Tenchi narrowed his eyes at him, suspiciously. "That'll be five hundred yen."

"Yeah, I gotcha, buddy." Said Ikeda, retrieving his wallet from his back pocket. "So… Is that _all_ you're selling today?" He asked, slipping the money into Tenchi's hand.

"If you want, I've got carrots, potatoes, on—"

"I was thinking something more along the lines of… Flesh?" He said, cryptically.

"I don't farm livestock." Tenchi replied. "You know that."

"Ah, I get it." Ikeda noted. "We have to be discreet about these kinds of things, right?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Questioned Tenchi.

"I'll tell you what; we can talk about this back at your place. Hold on, let me just tell the wife I'm stepping out."

"My house? Now wait a minute, I didn't—"

Ikeda cut him off, shouting back into the doorway. "Hey, Babe, I'm going out for a while with my high school buddy, Tenchi!"

"Tenchi?!" A woman's voice replied from somewhere inside the house. "That pimp who lives by the shrine?"

Ikeda flinched with embarrassment. "Uh, what?! Pimp?" He chuckled nervously. "W-where did you get that idea? He's not a pimp!" He looked at Tenchi, shaking his head. "You see what I've gotta deal with here?"

"That's what _you_ called him!" His wife retorted. "I'm not letting you hang out with someone like that! You can forget it!"

"Hey, I'm the man of this house. I go _where_ I want, _when_ I want!"

"I said you're not hanging out with a low-life pimp!" She restated with authority.

"I'm not a freaking pimp!" Tenchi shouted. "Ikeda, you're an asshole! Take this." He shoved the basket of radishes into his ex-friend's arms. "It'll be the last time I deliver here!" He began to march back to his blue pickup truck.

"No Tenchi, wait!" Ikeda pleaded. "I'm sorry about this. So what if you're a pimp: I'm not judging! Just…" He took his voice level down a few notches. "Invite me over from time to time, you know what I mean?"

Tenchi stopped in his tracks, clenching both fists beside him. He marched back heatedly and slugged the pervert in the face. Ikeda dropped to the floor, laying flat on his back as his feet dangled out the doorway. Tenchi walked away as his old high school friend took a well-deserved nap. When he got back to the truck, Noike was there in the passenger's seat, looking at him disconcertedly.

"What in the world was that about?" She questioned as he climbed behind the steering wheel.

"Oh that, back there?" Tenchi chuckled nervously. "It was nothing. Everything's ok."

"The hell it is." She protested. "When we promise our customers 'swift delivery', I don't think they expect it to mean your fist in their faces…"

"He wasn't a real customer, just some guy I knew back in high school. He thinks I'm… Ugh… Let's not go into it."

Noike still had a question in her eyes. "Ok." She conceded. "But I can't really say the whole thug persona suits you very well."

"Oh great, so I'm a pimp _and _a thug today…" Tenchi mumbled under his breath as he turned the key in the ignition, starting the engine.

Noike's wrist communicator began to flash, vibrate, and chime all at once, cutting short their conversation. It was the type of alert that only occurred before an emergency transmission; something she hadn't received in a long time.

"Hello? This is Noike Kamiki Jurai."

"Noike! This is Seina Yamada!" The panicked voice rang through on the other end. "I have an extremely urgent message for the Masaki residence!"

"Seina, what is it?!" She asked, worriedly.

"You need to evacuate the house immediately! I mean everyone! It's not safe there right now!"

"Seina?" Tenchi leaned in toward Noike's wrist. "This is Tenchi! What's going on?"

"It's Tarant Shank! He and his entire armada are headed directly for Earth! A fleet of Galaxy Police warships attempted to intercept him but somehow he's gained the power to cut swaths through our defense lines! It's insane!"

"How long before he enters our atmosphere?" Noike asked.

"Minutes! Get everyone away from there! We think it has something to do with Detectives Mihoshi and Kiyone's recent altercation. I've been called in as the foremost expert on Shank. I'm on my way to the sector as we speak but I may not get there in time! Please prepare!"

"Will do! Thank you, Seina." She ended the communication. "You heard him, Tenchi! Floor it!"

Tenchi put the peddle to the floor and they took off, speeding down the motorway.

* * *

"You should stay." Said Yugi, sitting next to Cupid atop the arch of Okayama Castle.

"Stay where?" He asked.

"Here; in this world, with us."

"It's not that simple. I have family."

"Now you have us. We can be your family."

"People aren't replaceable." He explained. "You told me you realized that."

"Yeah, I guess when you put it that way…" She digressed, wistfully.

"What's that?" asked Cupid, squinting as he peered into the distant sky.

"What?" Yugi replied, puzzled.

"There, in the clouds." He pointed out a disruption in the overcast. Dark ominous shadows shrouded themselves in the billowing haze as amber smog swirled about like a coming storm. Every so often, lights blinked through the gloomy veil, signaling something unnatural hidden within its fold.

"I… I don't know." Yugi answered, finally noticing it.

"Something's wrong…" Cupid announced, standing up. "Isn't that near your house?"

"Yeah, I think so." She came to her feet, beside him.

"That doesn't look good. I think something's about to happen." He said.

Yugi concurred. "We should go—"

Before she could finish, Cupid disappeared from her sight so fast that her eyes couldn't follow. An explosive bang rang through the air, followed by a shockwave that blew back at Yugi, causing her to flinch. She threw her arms up, guarding her face as her hair and clothing flailed about violently. As the wind around her died down, she stood there, gawking into the distance.

"Damn it, he let me win."

* * *

Ayeka answered the phone. "Masaki residence."

"Princess Ayeka!" Noike's urgent voice came from the other end. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, Noike." She answered, taken aback by the panic in her tone. "Why do you ask? Is something wrong?"

"Listen to me. Gather up everyone and get as far away from the house as you can! No time to explain, just do it, now!"

"A-alright." Said Ayeka, repressing the urge to query for more details. She hung up the phone and rushed into the living room. "Sasami, Ryoko, everyone! Get out here! It's an emergency!"

Sasami burst from her room with cabbit Ryo-Ohki close behind her. "What happened, Ayeka?!"

Ryoko peeked out her door, groggily. "I was taking a nap." She yawned. "This better be important."

Ayeka pressed the button on the intercom imbedded in Washu's door. "Washu, I need you up here immediately, please!"

In a few moments, Professor Washu emerged from her lab. "Ok, I'm here, bossy. What's the fuss about?"

"I just received a call from Noike. She said we need to leave the house right away!"

"What?!" Ryoko's body language perked up. "Why?"

"I don't know but I have a feeling something bad is about to happen. We need to leave!" She started toward the door with the rest of the girls following her lead.

"Wait!" Sasami called out, worriedly. "We're missing people!"

"Yosho is at the shrine." Ayeka said. "I don't know about Yugi."

"Yugi!" Sasami called out, panicked. She ran to the staircase that led to the third floor. "Yugi, where are you?!"

"She may be outside already. Come on, Sasami." Ayeka urged. "We'll figure it out."

Sasami made her way down the stairs, reluctantly. The group ran outside and down the path that wound around the lake until they reached the front gate. "What the hell is that?" Ryoko questioned, looking into the sky.

"Something's lingering somewhere between the mesosphere and thermosphere." Said Washu. "By the looks of it, it's either a group of ships or one massive one. It's hard to tell."

The gate swung ajar behind them and Mihoshi and Kiyone slipped into the yard, merging into the group.

"Is everyone ok?" Kiyone asked.

"Yes, we're all fine." Ayeka answered.

"We were back at our apartment when we got the call from HQ." Said Kiyone. "We rushed right over."

"So, what's this about?" Ryoko demanded.

"It's Tarant Shank." Mihoshi explained. "We think he's come to get revenge. I'm sorry; this is kind of our fault."

"I could give a damn whose fault it is." said Ryoko, glowering at the sky, fiercely. "This guy has some brass balls trying to start a war with us!"

Tenchi and Noike entered the yard, joining the rest of the crowd. "Is everyone out?" Noike asked.

"I think so." Ayeka replied, not sounding too sure.

"Where's Grandpa?" Questioned Tenchi.

"He's at the shrine."

"I'll go get him." He said, rushing out toward the mountain trail.

"Has anyone seen Yugi?" Asked Sasami, frantically.

"I haven't seen her since this morning." Answered Noike. "She wasn't inside the house?"

"I couldn't find her but I didn't get a chance to look everywhere," said Sasami before taking off back down the path to the house. "I need to make sure!"

"No, Sasami!" Noike beckoned.

"You come back here right now!" Ayeka demanded.

"She's my best friend!" Sasami shouted back as she continued onward. "I won't leave without making sure!" She hopped onto the front porch and barged through the door.

Ayeka started after her but was stopped by Noike. "I'll go get her. Wait here!" She instructed before running off down the trail after the young princess. Half way down the path, she noticed a flash in her peripheral vision. She glanced up to discover a cluster of torpedoes plummeting from the clouds like a blue-streak helix. As they descended toward the house, she knew there was nothing in her power that would get her there in time.

"Oh God, no, Sasami…" Noike uttered in woeful despair.

Something shot through the air almost too rapidly for Noike's eyes to register, puncturing the left wall of the house just as the torpedoes plunged through the roof. Explosion detonated in the next instant, sending shattered fragments of the Masaki residence bursting out of a cataclysmic flare. A form was expelled out through the right wall. It hurdled through the air, cutting down a tall tree before hitting the ground and sheering a shallow trench through the yard as it skid to rest.

As the dust cleared, Noike saw Cupid lying in the dirt, wrapped in a crystalline energy field, and Sasami wrapped in his arms. Noticing movement from both of them, she was overwhelmed with relief.

"Are you ok?" Cupid asked Sasami as she rested on top of him.

"I'm ok." She said. "Just a little shocked."

They both sat up as the barrier released from around them. Sasami gazed up at Cupid. Her expression began to crumble into melancholy. She broke down and leaned forward to embrace him tightly as she wept into his shoulder.

"Sasami… What's the matter?" He asked, holding her.

"I don't know where Yugi is. I think she might have still been inside the house."

"Don't worry. Yugi's ok." He reassured her.

She lifted her face, which was soaked with tears to reveal a look of addled relief. "Oh, thank God." She breathed.

Cupid stood up, lifting her to her feet along with him.

"Thank you for saving me." She sighed.

"Of course." He replied. "You can count on me."

She slipped her arms beneath his, embracing him once more with her head on his chest. He rested his cheek against her hair as he hugged her back.

Yugi drifted down from the sky, landing next to the other girls.

"Where were you?!" Ayeka shouted angrily at her.

"I went out." Yugi replied, baffled at Ayeka's vexation.

"Sasami was nearly killed looking for you! You shouldn't have snuck off without telling anyone!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's not her fault, Ayeka." Washu interjected. "She couldn't have known this was going to happen."

Ayeka turned away sharply, knowing Washu was right but still upset. Yugi surveyed the flaming shell that was the Masaki home. Half of it had been blown asunder and what remained of it probably looked better from the outside than it did within. Her vision drifted over to Sasami and Cupid and the sight of them entwined together mortified her even more than the state of the house. As much as she tried to resist it, she felt jealousy take root in her heart. No matter what her efforts, he always seemed to gravitate toward Sasami in the end and it was frustrating.

Cupid eased his embrace and let Sasami slip from his arms. He scrutinized the sky and his brow furrowed with ire. He began to walk toward the fallen tree he and Sasami crashed through when they were thrown from the house.

"Cupid?" Sasami called out curiously. In one fluid maneuver, he lifted the tree from the ground with one hand and chucked it into the sky like a javelin. It soared upwards, disappearing through the clouds. A discharge of bright light erupted in the billowing nebula and a boom rippled through the air.

An eerie creak moaned from the upper atmosphere as the nose of a starship peeked through the edge of the clouds. It began to fall from the sky, the trunk of the tree protruding from its flaming hull. Everyone moved away as the ship came barreling down into the lake.

As it hit the surface, water was cast out into the air, raining down into the yard. A moment later, an armada of ships revealed themselves, bursting through the clouds like bees from a rattled hive.

"Alright, now _that's_ how you get a party started!" Ryoko exclaimed excitedly. "Let's go, Ryo-Ohki!" She scooped the cabbit off her feet and hurled her into the sky, unceremoniously.

"Miyaaaa!" Ryo-Ohki let out an echoing roar as her form expanded into a magnificent starship, gleaming like black onyx shards wrapped around a rose colored pearl. Ryoko leapt into the air and phased through the orb at Ryo-Ohki's center before blasting into the sky in a thundering bluster.

Cupid ogled the phenomenon with bewilderment. "Should I just not be surprised at what she turns into anymore?"

Ryo-Ohki shot out into the atmosphere, unleashing a hellfire storm of lasers on the twenty-ship armada as she weaved through their return fire. The sky erupted into a violent light show as Ryoko's ship dipped and twirled through the melee. The pirate vessels seemed focused on a last ditch effort to make it to the surface as they attempted to circumvent her assault. Several succeeded in blitzing past her.

"Asake, Kamidake!" Ayeka summoned as the threads of her kimono spun into black and coral battle attire as miniture wooden logs phased into existance and floated around her. Juraian warrior marks scrawled themselves across her cheeks. As her wooden guards swooped in, she vaulted onto the flank of Kamidake, riding into the sky.

Tenchi rejoined the party with Katsuhito in tow. "Geez, look at what those bastards did to our house!" He brooded at the sight of his smoldering home. "I can't believe this happened…"

Katsuhito placed his hand on the shoulder of his grandson. "A house can be rebuilt. Right now, we need to extinguish this threat. You are the patriarch of this family. Fight to protect it."

"Right." Tenchi stated, stoically. He reached for the sheath on his belt, retrieving the hilt of the sword that shared his first name and willed its blade of light to activate.

"Here, Mihoshi, Kiyone, and Noike!" Yugi shouted. "Take these!" She reached forward, clenching her fists and yanked at the air as if to tug at invisible chains. With that gesture, a collection of sinister ordnance ripped into existence.

"Oh yeah!" Kiyone exclaimed eagerly as she rushed over to pick up a contraption that could only be aptly described as a demonic Gatling gun.

Noike grabbed a cannon, embellished with spikes and chains and hoisted it over her shoulder. "If these weapons are as destructive as they look, things are about to get messy."

Mihoshi brandished a shotgun that looked like a supercharged blunderbuss with four barrels. "I'll take this one!" She announced, looking ready for war. She negligently pulled the trigger and the recoil blew her off her feet. She fell back on her rear, discombobulated as she struggled to regain her bearings.

"Watch it with that thing before you end up blowing _us_ away!" Kiyone shouted.

"Sorry, that one was a practice shot..." Mihoshi pushed herself up and reclaimed her 'ready for war' stance.

"Ok everyone!" Noike said. "Ryoko has the skies. We'll take on whatever makes it to the ground!"

Two ships came down in front of them and hovered above the lake. The vessels fired a barrage of rockets and lasers at the group, intent on assassinating the Galaxy Police officers. Yugi stepped out in front of them and erected a tall shield made up of what looked like medieval black and red armor, which effectively deflected most of the firestorm.

"As suspected, Mihoshi and Kiyone are their main targets…" Noike noted, hunkering down behind the armor wall.

"Shit, they'd go this far?!" Kiyone questioned incredulously before stepping out from behind the shield and pulling the trigger of the massive weapon dangling at her hip. A rapid-fire stream of energy bolts sprayed the underside of one of the ships, tearing away at its armor plating. Noike stepped out from the opposite end, taking aim at the other vessel. As she pressed the button on the side of her cannon, a beam exploded from its barrel that rocked the pirate ship on impact. It swayed unsteadily before responding with a hail of fire, which sent Kiyone and Noike retreating back behind the barrier.

"This is the first time I've ever had to battle a starship on foot." Kiyone griped. "This is going to be tough." She noticed the faint sound of crunching nearby and turned to her left to find Washu sitting with her legs folded, gawking out at the turmoil as she munched on a box of popcorn.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Kiyone questioned in disbelief. "Find a weapon!"

"Nah, I'm a thinker, not a fighter." Washu retorted, waving Kiyone away. "You guys seem to have things under control. We'll let you warrior types handle it, right Sasami?"

Kiyone looked over at the Juraian princess who was grabbing a handful of popcorn from Washu's container.

"Not you too, Sasami." She groaned in disappointment.

"What?" She blinked at Kiyone, benumbed. "I don't care much for fighting either."

Kiyone lamented their protests; based on the fact that she'd previously witnessed both parties roundly thrash an individual when push came to shove.

Several harpoons shot out from the enemy ships with cables tethered to their ends. Ports opened from the bottom of the crafts and an army of pirates proceeded to zip-line down to the surface, weapons blazing.

"There's so many of them!" Mihoshi shouted. "I don't recall Tarant Shank's crew being so massive!"

"He probably recruited reinforcements just to take us on." Noike resolved.

* * *

Aboard the battle embroiled Daidalos II, Tarant Shank loomed over the control panel of his captain's chair with a maniacal grin winding across his face as he monitored the events on the ground from a holographic screen.

"Captain, this is madness!" Exclaimed his second in command. "Why aren't our ships being protected anymore? The Ryo-Ohki is kicking our asses!"

"The deal was that he'd get us to Earth; no more, no less. We're on our own now."

"If the crew had known that, I don't think any of them would have come along! Especially not all the mercenaries you hired!"

"And that's why I didn't tell them!" Tarant shouted. "Now stop distracting me, Dorvo! I'm trying to watch!"

"These people are too strong for us! Most of them are Juraian royals." Dorvo protested. "If we don't pull back now, this won't end well for us!"

"NOTHING is stronger than my vengeance!" cried Tarant, his vision still locked on the action unfolding onscreen.

Dorvo looked on at his captain desolately, accepting the harsh reality that his leader had completely descended into the depths of insanity. There was no more reasoning with him. If he didn't do something, they would all die in the name of Tarant Shank's unobtainable revenge. Full of regret, he raised a pistol at his own captain. "Sir… I have no choice but to relieve you—"

Tarant spun out of his seat and jabbed a steel blade through the bottom of Dorvo's jaw, upwards through his skull. His now lifeless second in command collapsed to the floor of the bridge with the bloody tip of the knife peeking through his crown of dark hair. Blood pooled around his head.

"I am relieved…" Tarant stated, coldly. "Now that one less mutinous traitor remains on this ship." He looked up at the rest of his crew. "Are there anymore among you who think me unfit to be captain?"

Other than the expressions of horror strewn across multiple faces, no one uttered a word.

"Alright then…" He said, slipping back into the captain's chair. "Let's take them all to hell…"

"Captain, we have a transmission coming from the Ryo-Ohki!" Announced a crewmember sitting at one of the ship's consoles.

"Put it through." Tarant granted.

Ryoko's image came to life on the screen before them. "Hey there. Just wanted to see what kind of idiot I'm dealing with." She said, peeking in at Captain Shank. "Damn, you're butt-ugly. Quite fitting; considering you're an ass!"

Shank chuckled. "Ryoko, the legendary pirate. I have to admit, I once looked up to you. It's a shame really, the rumors. The once fierce bane of Jurai, tamed harmless by Earth dick…"

"What did you say?!" Ryoko exploded into fury. "I'm going to rip through your fleet…" She growled. "I'll save you for last so you can shit your pants as you watch! Then, when I finally get my hands on you, I'm gonna shove your face so far up your own ass, you'll—"

Tarant ended the transmission. "Enough of that..." He said, before reproducing the holographic view of the battle below.

* * *

Tenchi charged through an onslaught of pirates, winding through a maelstrom of laser fire. The white light of his blade twirled amidst a sea of melee, severing limbs as he dispatched foes with acrobatic grace.

"Damn, who knew Tenchi was such a beast…" Cupid said, catching a glimpse of the fray. He dodged a sudden blast from one of the ships and returned fire via an energy beam from his palm, blowing a hole through its main viewport. Kamidake swooped past and Ayeka leaped through the entrance created by Cupid, just before the emergency shutters closed it off.

A gargantuan figure stood in Tenchi's path, towering amidst his pirate peers.

"C'mon, you scrawny little fucker!" He taunted. "Let's see what you've got!"

Tenchi dashed headlong into his adversary. The hulking ogre swept his assault rifle in a horizontal line, releasing a bedlam of gunfire that cut down everything in its path; allies included. Tenchi vaulted above the bombardment and somersaulted over the pirate, splitting his head down the middle with his blade like an apple. Landing atop a cable attached to one of the ships, he scurried his way up toward the vessel with all the agility of a spider monkey.

He climbed up into the cargo bay of the ship, meeting with a commotion of shuffling feet as pirates panicked through a blaring red alert. "Shit! How did I get pulled into this?" One of the mercenaries shouted. "This isn't what I signed up for, God damn it!"

"That bitch is crazy! We need to abandon ship!" exclaimed another.

Tenchi charged past the scrambling mob and dashed down the main corridor. Halfway through, he spotted Ayeka wreaking havoc on the crew of the ship. Even he had to stop and cringe for a moment as the pirates took a brutal beating.

"Ayeka!" He shouted, prompting her attention.

"Tenchi!" She called back.

"I need you to abandon ship!" He commanded. "I'm taking this one down. Wait for me on the outside; I'm gonna need a lift."

"Right!" She nodded before dashing past him down the corridor. Reaching the cargo bay, she ran towards one of the open ports in the floor and dropped down into the open air. Asake streaked in and caught her. As they careened through the air, Ayeka looked back at the ship. A vibrant flash zipped across the perimeter of its exterior as Tenchi's blade of light cut through the entire circumference of the vessel from the inside. Within a moment, Tenchi came diving out from the underside of the ship.

"Kamidake!" Ayeka summoned.

"I'm on it, your highness!" The wooden pillar said, flying out to catch the young Lord.

The ship tilted awkwardly. Its upper half shifted off kilter from its base, revealing that the vessel had been severed into two equal halves. Explosion erupted from its center as it sunk from the air, dropping into the lake.

One of Tarant Shank's lieutenants stumbled across the battlefield in a dither. He threw his arms in front of his face to guard against the spatter as the starship crashed into the lake. He looked around, watching his comrades fall victim to the utter slaughter being dealt upon them by beings he deemed monsters in humanoid form. The boy with the pilots cap and goggles made short work of a cluster of men on the west end of the grounds with a nimble array of kicks, throws and energy beams.

Meanwhile, the girl with long blonde hair conjured demonic creatures from the ground that eviscerated a line of men on the east. North of the battle, the green-haired Galaxy Police officer was mowing through men like grass with her Gatling gun while her ditzy shotgun wielding partner continually tripped over bodies, unintentionally blowing random pirates heads off in the process, in tearful apology.

The sky looked like a fireworks display as ships atomized high above the fields. Yet another two pirate ships plummeted in defeat, devastated under the overwhelming might of the Ryo-Ohki. They plowed into a mountainside and combusted into smithereens.

Out in front of him at the center of the yard, he spotted a platoon of his subordinates huddled around an unknown figure as random cries of agony bellowed out from their direction. Curious to discover the nature of the pandemonium, he hustled over, pushing a few men aside. "What the fuck?" He said as his eyes met with the source of his men's afflictions.

There in the middle of the ruckus stood Katsuhito Masaki, brandishing his wooden sword defensively with a calm and focused expression. Several men littered the ground around him, rolling about in anguish as they grasped their bleeding craniums.

"Are you shitting me?!" The lieutenant shouted in disbelief. "You all have guns and you can't take down an old man with a twig?!"

"He's faster than he looks, sir!" Someone explained. "He's splitting wigs left and right!"

The lieutenant pulled the pistol from his holster. "Move the hell out of my way!" He stepped into the circle of bodies and raised his weapon. Katsuhito lunged forward and parried his gun just as he pulled the trigger, causing him to shoot one of his own men in the face. He gawked at the older man, stupefied by his speed. Frustrated, he raised his pistol once more for another shot. This time, Katsuhito swatted his hand with the end of the wooden blade. Recoiling in pain, the pirate dropped his weapon, grasping his fingers with his other hand. With the man's guard down, Katsuhito took the opportunity to leap into the air and swiftly crack the lieutenant in his skull.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" The pirate clasped his palms over his forehead as blood spurted out like a fountain. He ran away, escaping from the huddle. "Oh my God! It fucking huurrrrts! Who would invent such a horrible weapon?! God damned Earthlings! That's some primitive, evil shit!" His legs buckled under him as his vision blurred. He took two more steps before blacking out and collapsing in the grass.

"Hmmm, that's interesting…" Professor Washu uttered, still crouched behind Yugi's shield as she looked through her hyper definition binoculars at the underside of the Daidalos II.

"What do you see?" Sasami inquired, squatting beside her.

"It's almost unnoticeable but these pirate ships are all branded in various areas with Dr. Clay's insignia. I wonder just how much he's involved in the current situation."

"Dr. Clay?" Sasami queried in surprise. "But he hasn't been a problem since the incident with Zero."

"Yes. But Shank and Clay share a common trait." Washu explained. "They both have a hard time letting bygones be bygones. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if he's had a hand in this."

"Oh no." Sasami said, looking out over the gate. "This is bad…"

Washu lowered her binoculars. "What's up?" She asked, turning to see the source of the princess's dismay. "Oh damn…"

A local news helicopter hovered above the yard. This was the last thing they needed. Washu put her hands out in front of her, summoning her holographic keyboard. "I should be able to hack into their video equipment and—" A burst of laser fire shot from the pirate ship hovering over the lake, striking the chopper and causing it to burst into flames.

"Huh, sometimes these things have a way of fixing themselves…" Washu resolved as the occupants of the vehicle leaped out into the lake.

"Well, at least they're alive…" Sasami sighed with relief.

Sirens echoed out over the horizon. "Washu, it sounds like the police are coming! This is a mess. We need to keep them out of this before they get hurt!"

"Keep them out, huh?" said the professor, stroking her chin. "That gives me an idea. It also gives me a chance to try out something I've been tinkering with." She began to type into her keyboard. "It's a holographic inter-dimensional gate. Pretty cool, huh?"

Sasami looked back at her, dumbfounded. "Um... Yeah, awesome…"

"Yeah, you have no clue what I'm talking about." Washu noted. "It works just like the door to my lab but I can generate it from light." She pulled a small, transparent cube from her pocket, and handed it to Sasami, who proceeded to raise it up in front of her eyes, turning it about in fervent inspection.

"I can create a portal with it instantly and break it down just as fast just by shutting down that device. It makes inter-dimensional travel highly portable. The only problem is that I haven't yet figured out how to get a significant yield from it using light rays. That being the case, I can't use it to travel very far. But for this case, it may just be perfect. All I have to do is program a destination within a one mile radius and…"

She punched in a few more keys. "Done." Washu snatched the cube from Sasami's hand. "Come with me." She said before sprinting through the yard and out the gate. A little ways down the path leading out onto the main roadway, Washu stopped and surveyed the area. "This seems like a good spot."

"Please hurry, I can hear them getting closer!" Urged Sasami, tracking the approaching sirens.

"We've got plenty of time." Assured Washu. She placed the cube down beside the street and touched its sides in a specific sequence. It started to glow internally before spitting out a faint twelve by fifteen foot translucent wall of light. "See?" As she reached forward, her arm partially disappeared on contact. "It leads back down the road, no harm done."

"Yeah, this might work!" Sasami cheered with relief.

"It works well enough on you girls when I want privacy."

"Oh yeah, that's right…" Sasami muttered with embarrassment. "I've gotta hand it to you, Washu. You certainly are a genius."

Washu puppets _A_ and _B_ launched up from behind the professor's shoulders.

"The great Washu has never failed!" Puppet A exalted.

"She deserves to be forever hailed!" Puppet B proclaimed.

"I know, I know." Professor Washu gloated, standing proudly, hands propped on her hips.

* * *

The Kamidake II Galaxy Police transport ship breached Earth's atmosphere, screaming towards the scene of the airborne clash above the Masaki residence.

"Seina, it looks like all but three of Tarant Shank's ships have been taken down already; two in the air and one on the ground." Reported the dark curly-haired Detective Ryoko Balta as her sangria eyes studied the monitor of her console.

"Is Shank's flagship still active?" The twenty-three year old Captain Seina questioned. His brown eyes reflected a confidence that was forged from his experiences throughout his eight years on the force.

"Yes. The Daidalos II seems to have taken significant damage but it's still operational." She answered.

"Kiriko, any more information about what he used to breach through the border patrol forces so easily?"

A woman with long, dark-brown hair and matching eyes looked up at him in response. "Reports are confusing." She replied. "Survivors are scarce but they claim every ship in Shank's fleet produced lighthawk wings. However, there's just no way that could be the truth."

"Every ship?!" Seina gulped audibly, running a hand nervously through his short-cropped black hair.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it." Advised his short blonde haired gunner, Detective Amane. "Whatever he used, it seems to have run out."

"I guess we're about to find out first hand." Said Seina. "Neju, open a communications link with the Daidalos II."

"Yes, Captain." Answered a teenaged girl with canary yellow tresses as she punched in a sequence of keys on the control panel. "You're on." She said finally.

Seina took a deep breath and sighed before beginning his address. "Attention, Tarrant Shank… This is Captain Seina Yamada of the Kamidake II Galaxy Police transport. Listen, it looks like you're on the wrong end of a massacre right now. If you surrender yourself, I can end this without further loss to your crew. If not, I'll be forced to join in the fight against you. In your current situation, that would mean certain death for you. I advise you to make the right choice."

Tarant Shank's image imposed itself before Seina on a holographic screen in front of him. "Yamada?... Seina… Yamada…" He grasped at a handful of his silver hair as if trying to tear answers from his mind. "It's… It's you…" He said, as memories rose to the surface of his consciousness. "It's YOU!" He screamed, trembling with rage.

Seina flinched, confused by Tarant's response. It was almost as if the pirate seemed to be just now remembering that he existed.

"This rage…" Tarant continued. "This scorn I feel seething from my very soul. I came here thinking it was those two bitches that earned it. But all this hatred that lied dormant inside me… I remember now. It was YOU, Seina fucking Yamada! YOU stripped me of my honor and made a fool of me. A bumbling clown like YOU! How did I lose to someone like YOU?! You took everything from me!"

"You did it to yourself, Tarant." Seina replied. "You just wouldn't stop coming for me. I thought you might have learned your lesson by now, but if I'm the reason for this attack, things are worse than ever. I didn't start this… But I _will_ finish it if I have to!"

Shank began to laugh wickedly. "No." He said. "_I_ will be the one who finishes this. I'll kill you. Do you hear me, Seina Yamada? You will die today by my hand! I'm coming for you!"

The transmission ended abruptly and the Daidalos II veered out of its current dogfight with the Ryo-Ohki and whirled out into the direction of Seina's ship, expelling an overkill of ordnance at the GP vessel. The Kamidake II rocked violently as a stream of lasers and missiles pummeled its shields.

"He's coming for us? Is he stupid?!" Detective Gyokuren asked, her cobalt eyes glaring skeptically behind tufts of her wavy platinum locks. "His ship is not even close to being a match for ours. Is he trying to commit suicide?"

"He led his fleet into a fight with the Ryo-Ohki and several members of the Jurai royal family!" Detective Karen noted in a tone of voice as fiery as her red hair. "I'd say that's more than stupid; it's downright crazy."

"Pirates are so disgusting." Detective Hakuren muttered, tossing her aqua blue hair back over her shoulder.

Ryoko shot a look her way. "Hey, watch it…"

"Former pirates not included." She amended.

"This is not exactly the Tarant Shank I remember." Seina stated. "Sacrificing his own men is nothing new but it used to be for the sake of saving his own skin. Now he doesn't even seem to care about his life anymore. He just wants one final shot at me, whatever it takes…"

Another round of fire rattled the ship. "Kiriko, link the ship to Royal Tree Mizuki and reinforce the shields!"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Amane, light 'em up!"

"Thought you'd never ask!"

"If this is the way he wants to go out, let's grant his wish! Right, Fuku?"

"Meow!" The little grey cabbit exclaimed from her perch at the center of the bridge. Both ships charged at each other head first, guns blazing.

"If you're trying to play a game of chicken with me, you'll lose!" shouted Seina as the Kamidake II picked up speed. Four lighthawk wings generated at the nose of the ship before twirling into an elaborate pattern. The Daidalos II shifted its trajectory at the last moment to avoid collision. As it ducked under the Galaxy Police transport ship, it was showered with a salvo of gunfire and torpedoes. The whole top of the pirate ship burst into smoldering flames as pieces of the vessel fell away.

"Nice work, Amane!" Seina exclaimed.

"That's what I do." She gloated with a grin.

"He's done for!" Suiren declared, green hair bouncing with victorious excitement. "There's no recovering from an assault like that." She adjusted the gold frame of her spectacles over the bridge of her nose.

"Hold on!" said Kiriko. "Something just shot away from the ship and it wasn't debris."

"You're right!" said Ryoko. "An escape pod just launched toward Earth!"

"You can be sure that's Tarant Shank in there!" Said Seina. "He's not the kind of captain who goes down with his ship." He stood up from the captain's chair and rushed over to an escape pod port.

"What do you think you're doing, Seina?!" Neju shouted.

"My family and friends live on this planet. There's no way I'm letting a guy like that share the same world with them! I'm going down after him!"

"Are you serious? At least let us land you there!" Kiriko insisted.

"There's no time! Just aim this pod in the same place he went down."

She sighed in surrender. "You better not get yourself killed! We love you."

All nine of the girls looked at him in an unspoken expression of Kiriko's sentiment.

He looked back, smiling at every one of them. "I love you too." He said tenderly before pulling open the hatch and climbing into the escape pod.

* * *

The grounds of the Masaki residence were riddled with pirate bodies, some lifeless while others writhed with pain. Only a few remained standing. Those who did started to drop their weapons and surrender themselves to the resident Galaxy Police officers. Cupid stood atop the smoking husk of one of the starships that managed to make it to the surface as it laid in ruin at the edge of the lake. Looking around to do a head count, he was glad to find all of his allies unscathed.

Turning his attention to the sky, he witnessed Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki dispatching the last of the enemy ships. Another ship unknown to him trailed behind what appeared to be Tarant Shank's flaming vessel plummeting out of the sky. It expelled a projectile that Cupid could only imagine was an escape pod. It plunged through the air and fell to the Earth somewhere far in the distance.

"Did you see that?" He asked, looking down towards Tenchi. "I think an escape pod just shot out of Shank's ship."

A second pod shot from the unknown ship towards the same region.

"That one came out of the Kamidake II…" Tenchi noted, watching it shoot across the sky.

"Kamidake II?" Cupid questioned. "Whose ship is that?"

"It's a GP transport vessel belonging to Seina Yamada; a friend of mine."

Without another word, Cupid started into the air.

"Where are you going?" Tenchi inquired.

"It could have been Shank in that first pod. If he's still alive, I'm gonna kick the living shit out of him for what he almost did to Sasami."

Tenchi nodded without protest. Cupid flew off over the trees surrounding the mountains. It didn't take long before he spotted the two pods pegged into a small crater within close proximity of each other at the edge of an empty public park playground. He landed on a bank of gravel amidst an unfinished parking lot and hunched down in waiting of whoever would emerge from the pods. Kamidake came soaring overhead a few moments later and Tenchi jumped down, landing on the gravel bank beside the young man.

"I'm assuming Seina was in the other pod." He said, crouching down next to Cupid. "Did he make it down ok?"

"I don't know." Cupid shook his head. "No one's come out yet. I didn't want to go tearing through the pods before making sure Shank was in either one. Now that I think about it, I don't even know what this guy looks like. We didn't exactly meet formally."

"That makes two of us." Said Tenchi. "But we'll know when we see a guy come out who isn't Seina."

The door of one of the pods slid open, releasing a haze of steam. As it cleared away, Seina's face became visible as he sat up, squinting in discomfort from the shock of the jarring touchdown.

"Ok, that's Seina, not Shank." Said Tenchi.

"I figured. He's wearing that ridiculous Galaxy Police uniform…" Cupid shook his head. "Who the hell designs those things?"

"I think my grandmother Seto had a big part in it…" Tenchi stated, apprehensively.

"Ah, sorry."

"No offense taken."

The second pod opened. The steam cleared, revealing Tarant Shank's crop of silver hair first before a matching pair of eyes unveiled. Blood smeared across his face from a head injury he'd incurred before ejecting from the ship. He groaned, shaking off his stricken daze.

"That must be him." Cupid said, standing up. He anxiously pounded a fist into his left palm.

"Wait a minute." Tenchi called out. "Those two have a history. I think this is personal for Seina. It's something he probably wants to do on his own."

"I see." Cupid acknowledged, settling his stance. "I'll let him have at it then." He crouched back down beside Tenchi.

The two men pulled themselves up out of their pods nearly simultaneously. Half way up, they both turned to look at each other and froze.

"Yamada!" Tarant screamed, infuriated on sight.

"Shank…" Seina uttered with determination.

Both hopped out of their respective pods and rushed each other with gusto. Seina leapt into the air, executing a flying dropkick, which Tarant ducked under. Seina let out a panicked cry as he overshot the pirate and came crashing down onto the raised end of a teeter-totter. A stone, which happened to be resting on the opposite end launched into Tarant's face just as he was turning to meet Seina. Tarant grunted out in pain as he reeled back, cupping his hands over his mouth.

"You son of a bitch!" He shouted before spitting out a mouth full of blood along with his two front teeth. He immediately launched after Seina and socked him in the face as the detective was in the middle of pushing himself up. Seina stumbled back throwing his arms up to block the several blows that followed.

Suddenly, a small piece of red-hot starcraft debris fell out of the sky and rolled down the collar of his shirt. He shrieked as it seared the skin on his back and began to flail and twirl about wildly, inadvertently pummeling Tarant in the face and chest with the precision of a highly skilled martial artist.

"Uh… What in the hell am I watching right now?" Cupid questioned, looking on stupefied. "Is this some sort of drunken-boxer style?"

"Nope…" Tenchi sighed in embarrassment. "Seina happens to have the worst streak of bad luck in the universe." He explained. "Ironically, it always seems to work out in his favor."

"Huh, you don't say…"

Frustrated, Tarant reached down into his boot and pulled out a ten-inch blade. "That's it! I'm gonna gut you alive, you fucking clown!" He met Seina's eyes with a crazed glare. "Do you know what I plan to do after I kill you?" He asked, rhetorically. "I'm going to go after your family and slit their throats; every last one until I wipe away the remnants of every member of your putrid bloodline."

Seina gritted his teeth. "Say what you will about me but don't you dare threaten my family!" He growled.

"Then, once I'm done murdering your kin…" He continued. "I'll go after those whores you married and—"

"Shut your fucking mouth!" Seina's chest heaved in anger.

Tarant laughed. "That's it, I want you to hate me! What you feel right now is only a fraction of my loathing for you!" He lunged forward, viciously swiping his blade at Seina as the detective peddled back, ducking and dodging the onslaught. Unaware of the obstacles behind him, he spilled back, tumbling over a spring-rider, which coiled back and launched forward into Tarant's groin.

The pirate captain abruptly dropped his blade and clutched his balls with both hands. His knees buckled as he coughed out a sob of agony.

Seina sprung back up, rushed in and unfurled a crushing haymaker against Tarant's jaw. Shank stammered back and fell between the bars of a merry-go-round. Seina was immediately upon him, smashing his fists into the pirate's face repeatedly in a fit of blind rage. Blood spatter stained his face and uniform as he continued to beat Tarant Shank within an inch of his life.

"Seina, stop it!" Tenchi shouted, causing the detective to halt mid-punch. He looked back over his shoulder, meeting eyes with his childhood friend. Tenchi looked at him as if to convey the sentiment that everything was ok and it was time to stop. Seina suddenly felt embarrassed and dropped his fist. He turned back to look at Tarant's mangled face and suddenly felt pity for him.

"Do I need to die before you let go of this senseless vendetta?" He questioned, solemnly.

"That's a start." Tarant garbled through a mouthful of blood.

"Then you really would just keep attacking the people I care about…"

"Did you take it as a joke?"

"No. I didn't. That's why I wanted to kill you just now…"

"But you can't because you're weak!" Tarant taunted.

"Then why is it taking every ounce of my strength not to do it?" Seina asked.

Tarant looked at him blankly, unable to muster a retort.

"Tarant Shank… I'm placing you under arrest. Though it's more than you deserve." He retrieved a pair of handcuffs from his belt and clasped it over one of the pirate's wrists.

"No." Shank answered. "I'll never have another chance like this again… How about we end this here and now?" He reached out and tore the other cuff from Seina's grasp and forced it onto the detective's wrist before winding his free arm through the bars of the merry-go-round. "Let's continue this in hell."

Something beneath Tarant's vest started to beep, ticking off faster and faster with each interval. Seina tugged away desperately. He pulled himself up, forcing Tarant to his feet along with him. As hard as he pulled, Shanks will to kill Seina was strong, manifesting itself in the grip that tethered the two to the center of the playground. Seina rifled through the pockets of his uniform, in a flustered attempt to retrieve the key to the cuffs but perhaps due to his bad luck, discovered that he didn't have them.

A white streak cleaved down between the two men as Tenchi's blade of light severed the links of the cuffs.

"No!" Shank screamed. "He's mine!"

Cupid rushed in and kicked Tarant, punting the pirate across the playground. He exploded in mid air amidst a ball of flames. Tenchi, Cupid, and Seina threw their arms up in unison, shielding themselves from a rain of body parts.

"Told you I'd kick the shit outta him." Cupid grinned.

Seina stared out at the smoldering lump of flesh that was once Tarant Shank. "I can't believe it's really done..." He stated in disbelief.

"Well, I definitely can't see him walking away from that one." Said Tenchi.

"Considering how his legs just blew off, I'd have to agree." Cupid concurred.

"Who are you?" Asked Seina.

"Name's Cupid. Nice to meet you, Seina Yamada. Interesting fight."

"Thanks for your help."

"Not a problem." Cupid replied.

Suddenly, the air became still and the sky above them opened wide. Looking up, Cupid could see straight out into the twilight. Something parted through the middle of the blue empyrean, revealing the cosmos beyond.

"W-what is this?!" Cupid queried.

"I don't know…" Tenchi gasped.

Seina nearly fell back with shock. "I've never seen anything like this before!"

A deep, turbulent quake seized the air. Everyone clasped their hands over their ears in an attempt to block out the trumpeting chaos. Without any visual warning, an object struck the ground before them, blowing all three back in an explosive shockwave. A thick cloud of dust filled the air.

Cupid hunched over on his knees, coughing as he struggled to regain his senses as well as the air in his lungs. Seina was sprawled out on his back twenty feet to Cupid's left, knocked utterly unconscious by the force. Looking around, Cupid failed to discover the whereabouts of Tenchi Masaki. The sky was normal again; its gaping hole sealed as if it were never there.

He pushed himself up, his body swaying over weak knees. Squinting, Cupid tried to make out the figure stepping out of the wide, shallow crater. The dust began to settle, revealing a face even younger than his own, peering listlessly at him through piercing blue eyes. Elaborate ivory hair blended seamlessly with the pallid, white skin of the stranger. Stepping forward, he came to a stop about fifty feet away from Cupid.

"You don't belong here." He stated, apathetically.

"What?" Cupid questioned.

"You're from _my_ domain, aren't you? I can feel it. Can it be that you trailed into this world behind me like stray litter?"

"Your domain? Who are you? I don't know what you're talking about."

"I suppose you wouldn't." He sighed. "No matter; I should clean up my mess."

All at once, he came at Cupid with boundless speed. Time slowed down, or at least that's the way the world appeared to Cupid whenever he slipped into a mode of hypersonic movement. Still, even in his accelerated state of mind, the stranger traveled faster than any living thing he'd ever seen. Though he could still track him with relative ease, he couldn't escape his trajectory nor react in time to counter as his mind had the capacity to think faster than his body could move.

Fragments of Cupid's energy barrier compiled before him in slow motion as the stranger balled his fist, producing a small orb vibrant compacted energy, which hovered in front of it. At three times the speed of Cupid, he brought his fist forward, in a vicious, horizontal arc. Cupid could do nothing to avoid it. For the first time in his life, someone had him dead to rights. He closed his eyes, let go and allowed the world around him to return to its normal pace.

There was a boom, like two dense energies colliding. His body shuddered in reaction as air whipped about like a storm. As moments passed, the air went calm again and he noticed that he was still breathing. Slowly, he let his tightly shuttered eyes peel open and found himself gazing at the back of an unknown figure, dressed in regal white and pastel vestments. Three blades of light similar to the one the stranger from the sky wielded were emblazoned before the new figure, holding the enemy's fist at bay.

"Tenchi Masaki, I presume." The stranger stated, calmly.

"Tenchi?" Cupid uttered in disbelief.

Tenchi peeked back over his shoulder. "That was a pretty close call." He smiled at Cupid reassuringly. A tri-striped marking adorned his brow.

Cupid was rendered speechless with wide-eyed incomprehension, struggling to reconcile what was happening before him.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Kami**

"This mortal is mine to deal with." The stranger stated to Tenchi as his fist pressed against the barrier of the lighthawk wings. "Why do you interfere?"

"Because he's my friend." Tenchi answered. "Why wouldn't I?"

The stranger lowered his hand beside him and relaxed his stance. "Your friend?" He shook his head with distaste. "You still think you're one of them…" His eyes examined Tenchi with curious wonderment. "Are you not conscious of your origin?" He asked.

"Of course I am." Tenchi replied. "I was born here in Okayama."

The stranger nearly laughed. "Interesting… By the look of it, you've been in your mortal vessel longer than I have and yet, my consciousness has developed much further than yours… Did something stunt it?"

"Sorry, I don't understand what you mean." Tenchi answered.

"I don't understand any of this at all." Cupid said from behind Tenchi.

The stranger shot an incensed glare in Cupid's direction. "This is not for the likes of you to comprehend!" He rebuked.

"Who are you?" Tenchi questioned, prompting the stranger's attention once more.

"While I exist in this form, you can refer to me as Pegys." He reached forward and positioned his open hand at the center of Tenchi's three light blades. "This energy you refer to as lighthawk wings… Do you know what they represent?"

Tenchi chose not to answer, not wanting to be condescended to for his ignorance.

"They're the physical manifestation of Kami energy in this domain." Pegys went on. "In _my_ domain, it manifests itself much differently. I wonder… How many of these are you able to produce?"

Tenchi thought not to answer before deciding it wouldn't matter either way. "Six is my limit." He replied.

"It was a bit jarring when I entered this reality and discovered that my powers didn't work the same." Said Pegys with his hand still outstretched as if sensing for something with his fingertips. "I've spent some time experimenting. Ten was the most I could produce without the universal fabric around me becoming unstable."

He clenched his palm into a fist and the wings dispersed.

Tenchi's outfit returned to normal attire. He looked down at himself, shocked. "How did you—"

"The gap in our development is significant." Pegys explained. "That doesn't mean that there is any less power within you than I. It simply means that I have more knowledge of how to utilize it."

"What exactly are you?" Tenchi questioned.

Pegys gave Tenchi a look as if it were a question he should already know the answer to. "Can't you feel it?" He asked. "I… We… Are Kami."

Cupid scoffed. "Are you trying to say you're God? That's bullshit."

Pegys didn't acknowledge him with his eyes. "If you insist on keeping this insolent child as a pet, I'd advise teaching him how to decide when it's best not to speak."

"But he's right!" Tenchi stated, deeply unsettled. "What you're saying is nonsense! What do you mean 'we are Kami'?"

"I can tell you're not ready to know everything." Pegys replied. "Now that I know your mortal identity, I'll be watching. When the time is right, I'll disclose more to you. However, as long as your true consciousness remains sealed away, I fear it may be as useless as explaining it to one of these lower beings."

The sky opened up above them once again as the air rumbled like it did before. "We'll meet again, Tenchi Masaki." Pegys said before shooting upward like an inverted bolt of lightning. With that, the celestial abyss spun close.

"What he said… It can't be true." Tenchi uttered in dismay.

"I don't get it." Said Cupid. "What does he want?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"Aaarrrrgghhhh!" Someone screamed behind them. They both turned about, finding Seina sitting up, wide-awake. He dragged both hands down over his dripping wet face and looked at his palms, horror-stricken. A small terrier traipsed out from behind him and stopped to give Tenchi and Cupid a curious look before walking away.

Cupid shook his head. "Terrible luck."

* * *

Inside an obscure compound somewhere on the Renza Federation planet at the far end of the galaxy, Dr. Clay relaxed in a deep, steamy pool of fragrant bath water. Candelabras and sconces decorated the walls of the large room, illuminating it with a cadmium flicker, which gleamed from the brass statues of sensuous naked women, as well as Clay's severely balding scalp.

As orchestrated music wafted through the chamber, the Doctor sunk down to his neck and allowed his eyes to close, placated by the soothing hot liquid. He felt so relaxed in fact, that he let a pocket of gas rip from his bowels. He grinned contently as he heard the gurgling sound of it rising out of the exterior of the pool. Lethargically, he let his eyes open once more. There before him, Pegys stood on the surface of the water as if it were made up of solid material. Dr. Clay jumped as he belted out a shriek.

"You're repugnant." Pegys noted, peering down at him.

"I-I didn't know anyone was here!" Clay replied, ashamed.

Pegys ignored the excuse. "It appears you were right about Tenchi Masaki. Now I know why I couldn't detect his energy before; he's been neglecting his powers."

"What resulted from the assault on Earth?" Dr. Clay asked. "Was Tarant Shank was able to confront his targets?"

"I made it so."

"And his revenge; did he succeed?"

"Tarant Shank perished in his attempt."

"As I thought…" The Doctor sighed, lamenting the demise of his once cell mate. "In any case, the information I provided to you helped you find what you were looking for. I'd call that a success. I'm assuming this means that you'll help me locate the whereabouts of Lady Tokimi, as promised."

"Impatient, aren't you?"

"N-no, not at all, my Lord. I apologize if I give that impression."

"I could reveal her whereabouts at this very moment if you'd like."

"Well, yes!" Said Clay, anxiously. "If you happen to possess such information."

"She's listening to us now as we speak."

"She is?" Dr. Clay examined the room from corner to corner. "Where?"

Pegys reached his right arm out beside him. A radiant, ethereal appendage shot out from his side, forming a large hand, which grasped for something in the shadows and ripped it into the third dimension. Clenched into a fist, the hand slammed down onto the floor of the chamber, crumbling a section of its stone tiles. It opened up and pulled away, retracting back into Pegys's body. Tokimi was left lying amidst the stone rubble, stunned.

"W-wait! You brought her here?!" Clay exclaimed. "This isn't the way I wanted it to happen! I'm not ready!"

"I've kept my word to you as far as the details of our agreement; the deal is done."

Tokimi rose up from the ground, shakily. Clay clamored out of the pool, stark naked with his hands over his genitalia as he scrambled for the exit. He slipped on the moisture beneath his feet and fell on his face. He struggled to get back on foot but Tokimi had already crossed the room, leering down at him.

"Lady Tokimi!" He cried out, pleadingly.

"It seems the last blockage of your memories didn't take." She stated.

"Lady Tokimi, I don't understand why you chose to take such harsh measures. I served out your whims to the best of my abilities! I was loyal to you! Why did you forsake me?"

"Because once the potential of Tenchi Masaki was discovered, I thought you might become an interference if you kept such knowledge. In your recent actions, you have proven just that."

Tokimi lunged out and clasped a palm over his forehead. Light radiated beneath her hand as she manipulated the contents of the Doctor's mind. After a few moments, his eyes went dull and vacant. She removed her hand and he sat there in all his nakedness, quietly gazing into nothingness.

"You may also want to dispose of that left eye of his." Pegys suggested.

Tokimi looked at him pensively before turning back to Clay. She darted her hand out, plucking the dark amber eyeball from its socket. The Doctor screamed in pain as the metallic internal mountings of the device and its optic wirings were pulled away. She crushed the eye in her hand and let the pieces fall to the floor.

Afterwards, she turned to face Pegys. "What are you?" She demanded.

"You've been watching me since before I confronted Tenchi Masaki." He stated. "Did you not hear me explain what I am?"

"You said you were Kami; a being higher than Chousin."

"Chousin?" Pegys rolled his eyes. "Is that how you refer to yourself? How pretentious…" He stepped across the water of the pool and onto the stone floor in front of her. "You're not a God. You're simply an architect." He said to her. "No… Even that would be giving you too much credit; you didn't even design this universe, you just built it from a predefined blueprint."

"That's a lie!" She retorted. "I designed every planet in this universe along with my sisters! There were no 'blueprints' provided."

"Then how do you explain the boy? I'm sure you've noticed he's not a product of your domain, nor am I. We're from a universe nearly identical to the one you've created here. Its subsequent evolution has many deviations from this one but I assure you, the fundamental layout is the same. The blueprints are something embedded in your nature. They were not _your _designs."

Tokimi's expression reflected her discomfiture. Though his words displeased her, they were an explanation more conceivable than anything she previously manufactured by her own logic.

"Surely you knew you were not a supreme entity." He continued. "You saw the truth in Tenchi Masaki."

"Yes... But your existence… Its far beyond anything we'd fathomed."

"Of course. You were only given the capacity to fathom that, which allowed you to perform your primary function. The beings that constructed _my_ domain possessed similar urges to find one who existed above them. This isn't a coincidence; it was by design."

"There are more beings like my sisters and I?" She asked, shocked by the notion.

"Yes. _Chousin_, if that's what you want to call them. Wouldn't that go without saying? If there is another domain which holds worlds, those worlds had to have been constructed by something."

"And a different Kami for each domain." Tokimi resolved.

"That is incorrect." Pegys retorted, irritated by her misunderstandings. "There is only _one_ Kami."

"You stated to Tenchi that you and he were both Kami."

"Yes. He and I are _the_ Kami." He clarified. "We are one and the same."

"How? And what is your purpose here?"

"Enough. I've told you more than you need to know." He dismissed, turning away from her. "Keep watching if it indulges you. All the answers will become apparent in the end." With that, he faded from her sight and senses.

"The... End?" She questioned, disquietedly.

* * *

A five-car squad of Okayama Police Department cruisers, led by car twenty-six sped down the motorway for what seemed like an eternity. Though Officer Tanaka started out enthusiastic at the prospect of seeing some real action for a change, he'd grown bored as they continued down a road that appeared never ending.

"Hey… Are we going around in circles or something?" He asked his partner, Officer Sato.

"Of course we're not going around in circles!" Sato answered. "I've been driving in a straight line. I'd have to be pretty stupid to manage that!"

"Then what in the world is going on?"

"I don't know, ok? This is one hell of a long road!"

"Something's messed up about this. Maybe we should stop for a minute and reassess the situation."

Sato looked at his partner in reluctance before finally picking up the radio in front of him. "This is car twenty-six. We're stopping for a minute. Everyone cool your jets."

The herd of police cruisers slowed to a halt and Sato and Tanaka stepped out of their car. Sato walked over to one of the other vehicles and ducked down to converse with his fellow officer through the window.

"So, what's going on, Sato? Did you get us lost?" The officer joked.

"You have the same GPS navigation system in your car as I do." He snapped. "This is just really bizarre. It's almost as if we're not getting any closer. But that's impossible, right? Do you know of any other route that would get us to the Masaki shrine?"

"None." The officer replied. "This street is the only way there. It's a pretty secluded place."

"Hmmm…" Sato scratched his head. "We're gonna have to figure something out. At this rate, we'll run out of gas before we ever see any action. But I guess we can't all sit here while hell is breaking loose over there." He sighed. "You guys keep pushing ahead. Me and Tanaka are gonna stay behind and see if we can't come up with a faster route."

"Copy that." Said the officer. He picked up his radio receiver and spoke into it. "Alright boys, I'm taking point. Follow me." With that, the other cruisers proceeded to drive around car twenty-six, speeding off toward the shrine. Sato and Tanaka got back into their squad car.

"Ok, so how are we going to do this?" Inquired Sato. "Is there a way for us to cut off road through these fields?"

"How about we get out of the middle of the street first?" Tanaka suggested.

Sato waved off the suggestion. "Nah, this is one of the least used roads in the whole town, we're good here."

Just as he said that, the sound of sirens blared loudly behind them. "What the—" they looked back to find the cluster of police cars that took off not five minutes ago, baring down on them at high speed.

"Holy shiiiit!" Screamed Sato as the incoming group collided with their cruiser. Patrol cars went flying through the air and falling on top of one another in a flurry of debris. When everything came to rest, Tanaka and Sato found themselves crumpled awkwardly in their upside-down vehicle. They crawled out of the cab, groaning, more out of perplexity than pain. As they stood up, one of their fellow officers came stalking over, looking at them irately.

"What's up with shooting out in front of us like that?!" He questioned. "Was that your idea of an alternate route?"

"What are you talking about? We were sitting in the same spot where you left us." Sato explained.

"That's impossible!"

"Wait guys." Tanaka said. "This road seems like it has no end but… I think we've been going in a loop."

"I think you might be right." Sato replied, pointing east, then west as he strained his brain to put the pieces together. "Now that we've figured that out, the only question is: who's going to offer that up as an explanation to the lieutenant once we get back?"

* * *

At the Masaki residence, the yard was bustling with activity. The crew of the Kamidake II corralled captive pirates into their ship for transport to the nearest Galaxy Police department. Jurai's High Council commissioned a cleanup crew to gather the remains of fallen starships from the surrounding area. Piloting large mechs, they hauled chunks of pirate ships into the cargo bay of a massive starship carrier. Galaxy coroners scoured the grounds, carrying away bodies on levitating stretchers.

In front of the dilapidated house, the Masaki family stood together, looking downtrodden even though they'd won the battle. A posh, elegantly dressed woman with wavy moss green bangs and scarlet eyes stood before them.

"Don't worry, there are containment procedures for unexpected incidents such as this." She assured. "When we're done here, no one on Earth will be able to find proof of what occurred. It will be as if it never happened."

"Your highness." One of her personal agents called over. "What should we do about these three?" She gestured over to the news reporter, cameraman, and pilot from the chopper that was shot down in the battle. Two other agents flanked them.

"They're coming along with us." The woman answered. "We'll re-assign them to a fairly undeveloped planet so they can adjust to their new lives smoothly."

The three Earthlings cried out in rabid protest. "I refuse to live on some freaky alien planet!" The reporter opposed vehemently. "I just got a promotion at the station and I found the perfect apartment downtown just last week! I can't just give all of that up and take a UFO to Venus!"

"Oh-ho, ho!" The sophisticated woman chuckled in amusement. "So brave of you, choosing the alternative of being disposed of." She grinned.

"Then again, I've always wanted to travel abroad…" The journalist chirped, disturbed by how the woman maintained her kind expression while stating such threatening words.

Tenchi couldn't stop staring over at the wreckage of the house. "My dad's not going to like this… This was his dream house. He put a lot of work into designing it." He sighed dejectedly. "I guess I'll get started on trying to fix it up first thing tomorrow."

"No, you won't." said the red-eyed lady. "Leave the arrangements for repairs to the High Council. Consider it part of the containment procedure. I promise it will look as good as new when you return."

"Return?" Tenchi asked curiously. "From where?"

"You're being transported to Jurai under protective custody. That includes all members of this household."

Everyone sounded off in mixed reaction.

"Jurai?!" Ryoko spat. "No way, I don't wanna go to that oak-knot of a planet!"

"Shut your mouth!" Ayeka defended. "There's no planet more majestic than Jurai. I think it's a great idea. It will give Lord Tenchi a chance to explore his Juraian roots!"

"Yeah, roots, branches, and tree bark…" Said Ryoko. "They'll be plenty of that stuff everywhere he looks."

Tenchi's expression was contemplative. "I suppose it would be an interesting experience." He said. "And it's long overdue."

"That's the spirit! Think of it as a vacation." The woman encouraged. "We're still trying to ascertain knowledge on how Tarant Shank's fleet punched through the GP defensive lines. Until we have the proper information to make adjustments, it is no longer acceptable for members of the royal family to occupy this planet."

"You hear that, Ryoko?" Asked Ayeka. "She said _royal_ members. Feel free to stay behind."

"To hell with that! I go wherever my Tenchi goes." She grabbed hold of his arm tightly, causing him to wince in pain. "Just how long are we talking, anyhow?"

"Once investigations are completed, you can all return here. As to how long that will take, that's undetermined. " She answered. "Because Jurai has the strongest defense system of any planet in the galaxy, it's the only place we feel confident of your safety at the moment."

"When should we expect to leave?" Asked Tenchi.

"First thing tomorrow morning. I'll arrange the proper clearance for all of you by then. Collect all your essential belongings." She peeked over at the shambles of their home. "Well, if there's anything left to salvage."

Cupid seemed a bit disheartened by the sudden development. "So, I'll come by early tomorrow to see you guys off then."

"Oh, Cupid…" Sasami looked at him wistfully.

Yugi started to voice her disapproval. "Hold on, I—"

"You're not seeing anyone off." Said the woman making the arrangements. "It's been decided that you are also to come to Jurai. You're a person of interest to the Jurai High Council."

Cupid was thrown by the announcement. He then recalled the comment Ayeka had made the other night at the bonfire. "But you can't just…"

"Allow me to apologize. In the middle of all of this, I seem to have forgotten my manners. I should formally introduce myself; I am Lady Seto Kamiki Jurai, High Council representative. It's a pleasure to meet you, Cupid." She grinned sweetly at him.

So this was Noike's mother, he realized. "Likewise." He nodded. He was surprised at how extremely youthful she looked to be Noike's mom but given the true age of most the people in his present company, it made sense.

"I've heard many interesting things about you. I believe coming along would be in your best interest and we'd like to clarify certain details of your background."

"It sounds like you've already made the decision for me. You can't just do that." Cupid protested. "I'm still working on my own personal crisis, after all."

"Are you pouting?" She asked. The nature of the question confused him. Her smile was nurturing yet he was almost certain she was mocking him.

"No..." He retorted defensively, glowering at her. "I just don't think it's in your jurisdiction to tell me what to do."

"Oh, I see..." Seto uttered, in an encouraging tone. "Well then, I certainly won't force you as you evidently know what's best for you. Go ahead then; make your own choice." She held out her open palm as if to say 'lead the way'.

"Don't worry." Said Washu. "I can still work on figuring out how to send you home while we're there." She assured. "Remember; my lab is no more attached to Earth than it is to Jurai."

"That's right!" Sasami chimed in. "Please come with us, Cupid! We really want you there."

Mulling it over, Cupid couldn't find a valid reason why he would need to stay behind on Earth. In fact, it would be completely detrimental to his goals if everyone at the Masaki residence was whisked away while he stayed behind.

Reluctantly, he conceded. "Ok, I'll come along."

"Is that so?" Seto questioned, visibly pleased. "Let it be known that it was your choice. Feel better now?"

"Not really..." He groaned, feeling as if he'd just took an intellectual loss to her and a hit to his pride. He could sense her mastery in the art of passive aggression.

"W-what about us, Lady Seto?" Mihoshi asked timidly on behalf of her and Kiyone.

"I'll submit recommendation for your temporary reassignment for duty in the Jurai region."

"Alright! I've always wanted to work in that area of the galaxy!" Kiyone hailed, pumping her fist in victory. Becoming conscious of her own enthusiasm, she straightened up. "I mean, yes ma'am." She saluted.

"You will of course be required to fulfill the same prerequisites as all officers assigned to the region." Seto added.

The way she smiled as she stated it made Kiyone's level of excitement plummet, mentally noting to herself to look into what those requirements actually were.

Seto instructed everyone to make all necessary arrangements throughout the rest of the day. Afterwards, everyone scattered and most of the group went off to sift through the ruins of the house for any belongings that might have been left in tact. Cupid pulled Tenchi aside to have a word.

"So, what's the point of this trip, really?" He questioned. "You saw what I saw. I don't think moving to another planet is going to stop that guy from whatever he's planning."

"You're right." Tenchi agreed. "But I didn't want to worry them by saying so. Everyone saw what happened in the sky but I think we're the only ones who saw what caused it. I'll talk to Lady Seto about it later but not in front of the girls."

"I still don't understand what his angle was. He had no problems with trying to kill me, but you… It almost seems like he was trying to be your friend." Cupid thought back on the moment Pegys lunged at him and cringed. "I can't believe that guy… I've never been that close to dying before."

"I have." Said Tenchi, placing his hand on Cupid's shoulder. "It makes you stronger."

"That ability of yours; the lighthawk wings… This whole battle might have gone a lot smoother if you'd used them a little bit earlier."

Tenchi chuckled. "You're right about that. Truth is, I haven't figured out how to make them activate of my own will. They only seem to appear whenever there's no other options for protecting the people I care about."

Cupid looked back at him curiously. "Are you trying to say you care about _me_?" He asked, feeling both honored and awkward all at once.

"Well, sure. I know we've only met the other day but we are friends, right? Besides, how could I face Sasami and Yugi if I let something like that happen? They'd kill me."

Cupid grinned, thinking about them. "They're both two of the most amazing girls I've ever met. I don't know about my future but if it happens that I stay in this world, what am I going to do about them?"

Tenchi shrugged. "Don't ask me; I'm not the expert. Maybe you should consult with Seina. He's the one with nine wives." He nodded over at the GP transport captain, who was currently standing at the other end of the yard with a bevvy of gorgeous female detectives surrounding him, listening intently to his instructions.

"Nine… What?!" Cupid's jaw dropped as he gawked at Seina in envious disbelief.

* * *

Sasami frantically sifted through a drawer full of clothing in a partially demolished dresser. The peak of a glass object protruded from beneath the folds of a red sweater. She gasped. "Here it is!" She reached in and retrieved the object from underneath its shroud of knit cotton. "It's all in one piece!" She cheered, raising the music box with its crystal figurines into the light of the late afternoon sun, which shined down abundantly through the broken ceiling. The clear transparent form of a man and woman locked in a lover's gaze as they held hands refracted the solar rays.

"That's…" Yugi stood up, grasping a hairbrush she rescued from a heap of broken wood. "The music box I gave to you the very first time we met when we were little girls." She walked over to her friend's side. "You kept it."

"Of course I did." She smiled. "It's precious to me. I was worried it might have been damaged in the attack. I'm so glad it's ok." She winded it and it began to play its tune. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"A music box is nice." Yugi agreed. "But kind of depressing… No matter how cheerful the music is at the beginning, you know that eventually, it's going to wind down and stop playing…"

Sasami's giggled. "That's the same thing you said when you gave this to me."

"Did I?" She asked curiously, unable to recall the details.

"You're right, the music does stop." Said Sasami. "But it only stays that way if you let it. Every now and then, you have to wind it back up to keep it going." She grinned. "That's what makes it fun." She watched on admiringly as the figures spun slowly along with the gentle sound. Suddenly, her eyes went wide and her expression slack.

"Sasami? Are you ok?" Asked Yugi.

Sasami looked at her. "I'm fine." She smiled reassuringly. "Here." She passed the music box over to her dear companion. "There's something I need to check on. I'll be back in a bit."

"Ok." Said Yugi, still eyeing the princess inquiringly as she walked away.

Sasami left the room and walked down the stairs, precariously stepping over missing boards. She crossed the scorched floor of the living room and entered the dimensional portal to Washu's lab. Inside, Sasami traversed the valley of machines and power lines until she came to an open area where she found Professor Washu and Lady Tokimi seated, beneath a circular overhead light.

"I'm here, sisters." She announced.

"Hello Tsunami." Greeted Washu, conjuring a chair from the floor. Tsunami walked over and took a seat amongst them.

"I wanted to give you a report on the progress of my investigations of the foreign entity." Said Tokimi.

"What did you find?" Washu asked.

"It was through his power that the space pirate Tarant Shank's fleet was able to defeat Galactic Union defenses and reach Earth."

"Early reports are saying that the pirate fleet all produced lighthawk wings." Washu noted. "I figured it might be related."

"It only _appeared_ that the ships produced the wings." Tokimi replied. "In reality, the foreign entity jumped from ship to ship, protecting them with his power. It was he who single handedly destroyed an army of Galaxy Police warships."

"When he fell to Earth, I felt his presence." Said Tsunami. "This is something more formidable than your experiment eight years ago."

"Yes, he's on an entirely different level from Z. I was able to speak to him in person."

"So, who is he?" Questioned Washu.

"His name is Pegys. He appears to be a mere child. However, he conveys wisdom infinitely beyond his years. He confirmed that he originated from a realm outside of ours. What's more, he blatantly claims to be the Kami."

"But we've already identified Tenchi as being the most likely candidate for Kami." Washu stated.

"Pegys doesn't deny that. He claims they are both the Kami."

"Is that possible?" Tsunami asked.

"I suppose when you're the Supreme Being, there isn't much that isn't possible." Said Washu. "But is it true or is he just supremely arrogant?"

"He insinuated that we were created by the Kami for the purpose of creating the universe to his pre-defined specifications. He said that our preoccupation with discovering a being greater than ourselves is also part of the plan."

"Hmmm…" Washu pondered. "I have to admit, that would make sense. In building this universe, we created a nest. It's almost like we've always known that somewhere within it, an egg would be conceived. Maybe all the actions we've made since then have acted as an incubator, facilitating the growth of the Kami. It could be that everything that we've thought we'd been doing of our own volition is really part of an algorithm."

"If so, then why is there more than one domain of existence?" Tsunami wondered. "And why the need for the Kami to exist in two separate forms?"

"That's also what I'm having trouble with." Admitted Washu.

"Pegys made a statement, which troubled me." Tokimi stated. "He said the answers would reveal themselves in the end."

"The end of what?" Tsunami questioned, dreadfully.

"I don't know. But if it happens to be true that he _is_ the Kami and we were created to serve his purpose… If his plan involves something we don't agree with, do we dare defy him?"

The three Chousin looked at each other searchingly, not one offering an answer to that question.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Valediction**

Under the blue haze of the early morning sky, the women of the Masaki household hauled their belongings onto the wooden dock of the lake. Luggage, boxes, and random trinkets occupied the brink of the small pier, in preparation for loading. Ayeka took charge of inventory, electing which items were necessary to bring along and which should stay. However, since no one had actually nominated her to oversee anything, the rest of the girls largely ignored her insight.

"Shut up, Ayeka!" Ryoko shouted, finally out of patience for her nagging.

"You don't tell _me_ to shut up. _You_ shut up!" She retorted. "I'm just trying to employ some common sense. We should only pack the essentials. Most of what we need will be provided for us once we reach Jurai."

"I'm not a fan of all the nitpicking but that _is_ true." Noike concurred, setting down a large storage trunk. "We shouldn't go over-board. It's only a five hour trip, after all."

"At least someone agrees with reason." Ayeka monished.

"Well, I say it's better to be over-prepared than under." Kiyone stated as she slung a duffle bag on top of one of the piles.

"Exactly." Ryoko agreed. "We're traveling with three royal tree ships. We could probably bring half of Okayama with us if we wanted to. Stop being such a hard-ass."

"I know storage is not an issue, you idiot. The point is that I don't want you littering my ship with your garbage. Lord knows you're not going to clean it up afterwards." Ayeka grumbled.

"Hey, I didn't want to travel with you to begin with." Ryoko retorted. "But since you somehow tricked Tenchi into taking _your_ ship, I don't have much choice in the matter, do I?" She griped. Her eyes narrowed as she began to muse to herself. "But if I can find a place on board to hide Tenchi away from everyone..." Her cheeks turned red as she giggled over carnal fantasies.

"And I will promptly jettison you into deep space with the rest of your trash!" Ayeka warned. "Besides, there was no trickery involved. I was simply the first one to offer the comforts of my vessel for this voyage."

The two continued to bicker while the rest of the girls tuned out their quarreling and went on about their tasks.

"Aren't you going to bring any of your things, little Washu?" Mihoshi questioned, glancing over at the pint-sized scientist who sat at the edge of the dock, typing away on her holographic keyboard.

"Oh, I'm bringing everything." She replied without looking back. "I don't need to pack. The only thing I'll have to do is construct a new portal for my lab once we get to Jurai. It'll be fairly simple."

Kiyone's face adopted a pondering expression. "Hmm… So, in theory, once you create a portal from Jurai, couldn't you just use your lab as a pass-through to come right back here almost instantly, whenever you want?"

"That's a pretty intelligent hypothesis, Kiyone!" Washu looked back at her, grinning with encouragement.

"You say that as if you're surprised I have the capacity to think." Kiyone replied, resentfully. She flipped her hair back. "What do I look like? Mihoshi?"

"Hey!" Her flighty blonde partner objected with hurt feelings.

"In any case, your assumptions are _flawed_." Washu concluded, swatting down Kiyone's pride as if doing so amused her. "While in theory, it's possible for multiple inter-dimensional portals to link to the same dimension at once, they would need to be vastly spread apart, as in thousands of miles apart. When a tunnel opens across dimensions, it exerts a tremendous strain on the fabric of time and space. Therefore, multiple portals set too close together become highly unstable.

Fascinatingly, dimensions have an innate system of self-preservation. In the event that a portal is created too large or multiple portals too close, it will attempt to heal itself, which quickly forces shut any portal that exceeds its threshold. To avoid that from happening in this case, I already went ahead and dismantled the gate here on Earth. Now, on the other hand, creating multiple portals that lead to different locations within the same dimension is a much simpler task, as it—"

Washu stopped in the middle of her explanation, noticing Mihoshi's raised hand. "Yes, Mihoshi?"

"Let's go back a little bit." She said. "You were saying that when you create a dimensional portal…" She looked up at the sky, placing a finger to her lips before looking down again at the professor. "What happens after that?"

Washu turned back to her holographic keyboard and started typing again.

"Um… Little Washu?" Mihoshi beckoned, only to be ignored as Washu continued pressing keys, wordlessly. With that, the discussion was over.

Sasami brought another suitcase to the dock and placed it down. She took a short break, looking out at the yard, thoughtfully. The sun was starting to clear away the morning fog and bathe the grounds in its nurturing yellow rays. Everything seemed peacefully in order. "It's hard to believe there was a battle right here, less than a day ago…"

"Yes, the cleanup crew sent by Jurai did an amazing job." Noike agreed. "If you ignore the house, you really can't tell anything unusual happened here at all."

"I can't decide which is harder to look at; the house or Tenchi's dad crying about it." Yugi noted as she peered over at the small gathering near their home. Tenchi was there, consoling his grieving father.

"Come on Dad, it's not that bad. Get a hold of yourself."

"Yes, it is!" Nobuyuki wailed. "This house is a symbol of my passion. I had it built right before finding the courage to propose to your mother. It was to be the home we raised our kids in together, which we did… I put my blood, sweat, and tears into every square inch of it!"

"Well, now you're putting your drool, snot and tears into my shirt…" Tenchi complained.

Lady Seto and Tenchi's stepmother, Rea watched on shamefully.

"I've already informed you that the High Council has authorized the restoration of the house at no cost to you." Seto assured. "Is that not sufficient?"

"Yes, Lady Seto; I'm grateful for your generosity. It's just... It will never be the same!" Nobuyuki whined. "All the memories that permeated the original wood… Nothing can replace that."

"Oh, come now." Seto chuckled at his reaction. "You haven't occupied this house in years. For all intents and purposes, Tenchi's the man of the house now. He should be the one most affected by this. But by all means, weep some more! Watching grown men cry is quite entertaining."

"My boy's just as broken up about this as I am, aren't you Tenchi?" He looked up at his son, lugubriously, awaiting his response.

Tenchi looked back at him blankly and shrugged. "It's ok with me. As long as things are pretty much the way they were before."

"Oh my God, you monster!" Nobuyuki dropped to his hands and knees and sobbed. "I had no idea the glorious home I provided meant so little to you!"

Lady Seto burst into laughter. "You've really reverted back to your early days as a Galaxy Police Force cadet, haven't you, Nobuyuki? Oh, how I missed those tears!"

"Nobuyuki." Rea chimed in, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. "At least for your children's sake, please show some composure."

He stood up and wiped the tears from beneath his spectacles before turning to face his youngest offspring. "Hey there, buddy." He smiled. "Sometimes it's ok for a man to strongly express his emotions. In fact, it shows that he's secure in his manhood. Your Dad's still cool, right?"

Kenshi cringed in disgust. "Gross, Dad! You've got boogers in your mustache!"

Mortified, Nobuyuki turned away and blew his nose into the front of Tenchi's shirt.

"Really, Dad? Did you _really_ just do that?!" Tenchi questioned bitterly, looking down at his shirt with nausea. "Now I've got to change again…" He pulled his shirt up over his head.

"Oh yeah, baby!" Ryoko shouted from over at the dock. "That's what I'm talking about. Take it _all_ off!"

In a sudden twinge of self-consciousness, Tenchi covered his chest with his balled-up shirt as she came flying over to tease him some more.

"Cut it out, Ryoko!" He demanded, ducking under her attempt to embrace him. "Not in front of my little brother!" He swerved his hips, evading her attempt to grasp at his belt buckle before running away.

She gave chase, reaching out her arms. "Oh come on, stop being such a prude. The boy's gotta learn about this stuff sooner or later."

Ayeka came tearing across the yard. "Get away from him right this instant! Have you no shame?!"

The three of them ran around in circles, looping through one another as Ayeka attempted to grapple Ryoko, who in turn tried to grapple Tenchi, who ducked, jumped, and spun out of her clutches.

Kenshi watched on in excitement, laughing at the goofy scuffle as any eight-year-old would. He started after them but Rea placed a hand on his dark, spiky crop of hair, causing him to halt. He looked back at her, questioningly.

"No, Kenshi." She said with her soft cobalt eyes meeting his curious gaze. "That's probably a game not suitable for little boys. There's still a little time left before your brother leaves on his trip. Why don't you play with Ryo-Ohki for a bit?"

His eyes lit up. "Right!" He enthusiastically obeyed, running off toward the dock. He wandered about, turning left and right, peeking between luggage and around boxes, unable to find his fluffy surrogate sister. Sasami was nearby, reaching up to place a knapsack on top of a pyramid of baggage. He tugged on the seam of her tunic to get her attention.

She looked down at him querying. "What do you need, Kenshi?"

"Where's Ryo-Ohki? I was hoping to play with her."

"Well…" She folded her arms, giving it some thought. "Knowing her, if there's anything she wouldn't forget to bring along for the trip, it's her favorite snack. You'll probably find her near the vegetable fields."

Kenshi's expression perked up in epiphany. "Oh right, thanks Sasami!" He said, buoyantly.

"I'll play with you, Kenshi." Yugi offered, looking over at him with wicked intrigue.

"U-ugh, no thanks Yugi!" Kenshi zealously declined. His thoughts flashed back to the sound of her cackling laughter as she chased him around the yard with a horde of demons during his last visit. A follow-up vision of him smuggling a pair of his ruined underwear into a trashcan came next.

He fled away in panic, hauling tail through the yard before she had a chance to insist. He slipped through the front gate, past Asake and Kamidake, who cautioned him to play safely as he passed by. Kenshi dashed through the plains, cartwheeling and handspringing his way across the boundless fields, still moist with morning dew. He reveled in the freedom he felt whenever visiting rural Okayama. It provided an outlet for his energies that the densely populated city couldn't.

As he stalked his way up the crest of a small hill, he looked out toward Tenchi's vegetable garden. Sure enough, Ryo-Ohki was playing nearby. Her skirt lay in a pile beside a basket full of carrots behind her as she chased a field mouse through the grass in her cabbit form. The critter escaped through a hole in the ground and she dug in after it, bailing dirt left and right.

Kenshi grinned, raising both his arms in an attempt to flag her attention. Just as he opened his mouth to call out to her, he noticed a rustling from a bush at the other side of the garden. As the source of the stir emerged from the foliage, Kenshi couldn't believe his eyes.

"Another… Cabbit?"

Indeed it was; a sandy colored varmint with dark brown ears and an emerald green crystal embedded in its forehead amidst swirly patterned mahogany stripes. The young boy gasped with excitement and dropped to the ground on his belly to get a covert view.

The unfamiliar cabbit walked through the garden toward Ryo-Ohki who stopped what she was doing to look up at the newcomer with suspicious curiosity. Coming to the edge of the vegetable garden, it stopped and sat on its hind legs before casually greeting Ryo-Ohki with a friendly mew.

She cocked her head to the side with inquisitive befuddlement. "Miya?"

"Meow!" It replied, happily with its chocolate colored cottontail wagging.

Ryo-Ohki began to inch toward it, timidly. As she came closer, her little pink nose twitched as she sniffed at its fur. Suddenly, as if a switch was flipped in her consciousness, she perked up and crooned out an excited meow before diving at the other cabbit anxiously.

They rolled about, playfully scuffling through the grass before darting about the meadow, engaged in a spirited game of tag, yelping and tittering at one another. In the midst of her frolic, Ryo-Ohki noticed a bushel of tall grass swaying suspiciously behind the other cabbit. She sounded out in warning but it was too late; Kenshi came diving out of the grass like a wild cougar. The little brown cabbit belted out a shrill as the boy came crashing down upon it. It thrashed under the weight of Kenshi's body, hissing and screeching in dismay.

"I did it!" Kenshi shouted victoriously. "I caught my very own cabbit! Yes! I can't wait to bring it home with me! I can't believe it!"

He sat up; holding the critter down as it squirmed about, meowing angrily.

Ryo-Ohki fussed at Kenshi in cabbit language, demanding that he let the creature go.

"Don't worry Ryo-Ohki. I'll take good care of…" He pondered to himself for a moment before flipping the animal onto its back. He sifted through the fur between its legs. "Him!" He exclaimed finally. "I'll take good care of _him_. Just watch!" He got up and hauled the cabbit along by its ears.

"Meeooowww!" It cried out, dangling behind him like a ragdoll.

Ryo-Ohki cringed for her companion, forced to look away out of empathy.

In the middle of the garden, Kenshi squatted down to yank a carrot from the soil.

"Here you go, eat up little guy!" He said, prodding it into the animal's face. It turned its nose away in protest. "Aw, come on, don't you like carrots? They're good for you." He insisted, twisting the tip of the carrot into the critter's mouth. The cabbit started to gag as Kenshi force-fed it into its throat. It bit off a piece, gulping it down just to keep from choking.

"Good boy!" Kenshi praised. He rubbed the fur on the cabbit's head so hard that its face stretched back with each stroke, revealing the pink beneath its eyelids. "I think I'll call you 'Jellybean', because you remind me of the Easter bunny!" He dubbed. "Do you like that name?"

The cabbit replied by lunging out and gnawing on Kenshi's hand. He cried out in pain, dropping the animal to the ground. It scrambled to make its escape but Kenshi reached out again, seizing it before it made it too far. He picked it up and laid it across his knee. "Bad Jellybean!" He reprimanded before repeatedly spanking its bottom.

Ryo-Ohki was mortified, shaking her head wildly in fervent disapproval. "Miyamiyamiyaaa!"

Suddenly, the brown cabbit burst into a puff of smoke and in its place, Cupid stood, looking down at Kenshi furiously. "Enough!" He shouted.

"Whoa…" Kenshi uttered in amazement. "Jellybean, you can turn into a human just like Ryo-Ohki!"

"It's Cupid!" He retorted irately. He reached down and grabbed Kenshi by the ear. "Come here, you little piece of crap."

"Ow, ow, ow, owww!" The little boy winced in pain as Cupid tugged him along through the garden before stopping in the middle of a cabbage patch, reaching down to rip a fist-full of leaves from one of the vegetables.

He mashed it into Kenshi's mouth, twisting it about until it crumbled apart against his face. "How does it feel, huh?! You like that?"

"No, Jellybean! I'm sorry!" cried Kenshi.

"I already told you my name's Cupid!" He let go of the kid's ear and Kenshi fell back onto the ground, spitting green bits out of his mouth.

"You're mean!" He shouted. He pushed himself up and launched a round of kicks and punches at Cupid, which were all blocked and dodged with ease. Cupid flicked the boy in the chest with his middle finger, sending him tumbling backwards through the soil. Kenshi sat up and started to bawl like a baby.

Cupid sighed. "Oh, cut it out, I barely hit you…"

"I know." Kenshi replied between choked off sobs. "I'm so weak!" He wiped tears from his cheeks with his forearm.

"You're just a little kid." Cupid sighed. "Don't feel too bad about it; I've done the same thing to grown men."

"But, but… Even my sisters…" He protested. "Every time I play with them, I get hurt, or tired, or scared… Why is everyone so much stronger than me? Why am I so frail?" He blubbered.

Cupid's expression softened. "What's your name, kid?" He asked.

"I'm… I'm Kenshi Masaki." He looked up with heavy tears dropping from his eyes.

"Masaki?" Cupid questioned with surprise. "You're related to Tenchi?"

"He's my big brother."

"Is that so?" He squinted in contemplation, squatting down before the boy. "I've been to Tenchi's house a few times now. I wonder why I'm just now meeting you."

"I live with my mom and dad in the city." Kenshi replied, clearing away the last of his tears with the back of his fist. "I visit a lot, though. Like on holidays and stuff."

"Kenshi Masaki…" Cupid processed the information. "That explains a lot; like how you knew Ryo-Ohki by name."

"She's my sister." Kenshi stated.

"Miya." She affirmed, once again in her humanoid form, garbed in her previously discarded clothing.

"So, when you talked about your 'sisters', you meant…" Cupid chuckled as he put the pieces together. "Listen, I wouldn't feel too bad about getting a little roughed up by _those_ girls. They're… A special breed of women."

Kenshi looked down at himself, sadly, as if the notion of them being special meant that he wasn't. Cupid walked over and extended his hand. Kenshi reached up and grabbed hold, allowing the older boy to pull him to his feet.

"Hey, I'm sorry for knocking you down." He said, rubbing Kenshi's head, apologetically.

"It's ok." The little boy replied, still looking dispirited.

"We should get to the house." Cupid walked over and reached into the bush he originally emerged from, retrieving a tote bag. "I'm supposed to meet up with your family soon."

"You mean you're going on the trip too?" Kenshi questioned curiously.

"That, I am."

"So cool!" He exclaimed. "I wish I could go too but my parents said no."

"It's probably for the best." Cupid reassured. He began to walk across the plains. "I'm sure they'll be more willing to let you travel when you're old enough." Ryo-Ohki rushed to Cupid's side, carrying a basket of carrots. Kenshi followed along.

"I doubt it… They never let me do the kind of things Tenchi gets to do." He replied.

Cupid smiled. "I have an older brother too. I used to hate the fact that he got to do all these cool things and travel to so many places while I had to stay behind. He was famous and important so it happened often."

"It's so unfair!" Kenshi brooded.

"Nah, it's just the nature of the family balance." Cupid explained. "Caring parents are always doting over the little ones while the older siblings find their place in life. They know when it's time to let go. Trust me, that day will come. Until then, enjoy being close to them while you still can."

Kenshi looked up at him, thoughtfully. "If you say so…"

As they continued to walk toward the house, his spirits gradually recovered. Soon, he was bouncing around Cupid, excitedly, occasionally coming up with another question for his new acquaintance. "Are you really a cabbit?" He asked.

"You're a little slow, aren't you?" Cupid questioned. "I was just playing a game with Ryo-Ohki."

She meowed, signaling her amusement for the gesture.

"But, then how did you change into one?" Kenshi inquired, dumbstruck.

"I can change into a lot of things."

"Whoa, really?! Can you teach me how to change into a cabbit?"

"Sure!" Cupid granted. "Step one: use your physical transformation abilities to grow fur."

Kenshi looked down at the back of his hands. "Physical t-trans-form-ation? I don't have that."

"You don't say…" muttered Cupid, sarcastically. "Ah well, lesson over."

Kenshi made a sad, cabbit-esque expression. "Mew…"

Cupid looked over at him and cringed. "Don't do that, you weirdo. You're freaking me out."

"But I really wanna be a cabbit. It looks like fun!"

"You know what; it was. And then, suddenly you came along and it wasn't." Cupid stated, scornfully.

"Sorry. I was just really excited when I saw another cabbit. I never had a pet before and a cabbit would be the coolest one ever!"

Ryo-Ohki meowed at him with a chastising tone.

"I-I'm not calling you a pet, big sis!" He amended, hastily.

They came to the front gate of the Masaki residence and as always, were greeted by Asake and Kamidake. As they entered the premises, Kenshi and Ryo-Ohki ran ahead to the dock of the lake where everyone else was gathered in waiting. Kenshi bounced around his mother, raving about his new friend who could change into a cabbit as she patiently humored him with her kind, attentive eyes.

As Cupid made his way across the yard, Sasami called out to him. She and Yugi stepped out from the group and bounded toward him excitedly. They met him half way, both peering at him with adoring eyes.

"How are you, Cupid?" Yugi asked, bright-eyed.

"I'm good." He smiled. "How are you two?"

"I'm really happy." Sasami answered. "I haven't been to Jurai in a long time so there are a lot of people I'm looking forward to seeing again."

"I'm a little nervous about it." Yugi admitted. "But it makes me feel better that you're coming too."

"Actually, the more I think about it, the more I can't wait." Said Cupid, enthusiastically. "Between Ciipres and Earth, things aren't that much different culturally and geographically. But I bet Jurai is going to be something else entirely, isn't it?"

"There's definitely a culture shock involved." Sasami noted. "But you have us to help you ease into it!" She took his hand. "Come on, you'll be riding with Yugi and I in my ship. It'll be fun!" She led him over to the dock where the others greeted him.

"Hello again, Cupid." Lady Seto stated graciously, with her signature grin. "I'm glad to see that you've stuck to your decision to come along. Don't worry, once we're on Jurai, I'll make sure there's plenty to keep you occupied." There was something foreboding in her eyes as she made that promise.

"I hope so." Cupid replied, meeting her gaze with a defiant glare. "I get bored easily."

"Oh?" Seto's expression perked up as if she'd just been invited to play her favorite game.

Sasami nudged him, urgently. He looked over to find her gazing back at him with an odd expression that could possibly be interpreted as fear. "Don't antagonize her..." She whispered in warning.

"Ok everyone, it seems we're all here now." Seto observed. "As I understand it, Sasami, you'd like to travel in your own ship with a smaller group?"

"Yes, Lady Seto. Cupid's never seen the inside of a Royal ship before and I just thought... Well, I thought..." Sasami didn't quite know how to say it in a way that didn't embarrass her.

Seto leaned foward and whispered into the young girl's ear. "You'd like the opportunity to introduce him to Tsunami for the first time in an intimate manner, am I right?"

Sasami nodded, visibly blushing.

Lady Seto straightened up. "I understand. Typical adolescents wanting their space from the adults." She grinned. "Well then, you're up first."

Sasami turned toward the lake and called out the name of her ship, the 'Tsunami-fune'. Within moments, the surface of the water began to ripple. Ripples became waves as the lake undulated with increasing turmoil. Finally, a large ship rose out of the lake as water rolled off its hull and spilt from its crevices, raining down into the vast pool below. Its magnificent bow was like a long, ivory tusk, which expanded into a voluminous stern. An intricate blue and white keel extended from beneath.

"It's beautiful…" Cupid gawked as it hovered in the air. "My ship isn't much by comparison."

"You can bring it along." Sasami offered. "Theres more than enough space in the cargo bay."

"Thanks but it should be fine here. It's in a safe place."

Sasami nodded in understanding. "You can set your belongings in that pile there." She instructed, pointing to a stack of cargo on the far corner of the dock. Cupid went ahead and put down his bag. As if fulfilling a silent command, the ship expelled a ray of light, which zeroed in on the collection of luggage and drew it into its cargo bay.

"So, you're Cupid." A voice called out, snapping him out of his state of awe. He turned to find a dark haired woman with glasses, smiling kindly at him. "Hello, I'm Rea Masaki, Kenshi's Mother."

"It's nice to meet you." Cupid replied with a nod.

"It seems you've made quite an impression on my son."

"Have I?" He asked, looking over at the little boy who stood next to his mother, grinning widely. " Well, he seems like a good kid."

"I sure know how to raise 'em, don't I?" Kenshi's father interjected, as he stepped forward. "I'm Nobuyuki, Tenchi and Kenshi's dad."

"Nice to meet you, Sir."

"So, Cupid. Jurai should be quite a trip for you, eh?" He questioned, with a hint of innuendo in the statement that confused the young man.

"Yeah, I hear it's a really interesting place."

"I bet, but that wasn't exactly what I meant, my boy." Nobuyuki leaned in as his voice took on a discreet tone. "You'll be basically traveling alone with two pretty young ladies… Sometimes, the best part of a trip can be the journey, not the destination, if you catch my drift."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Rea interjected with reprove.

"N-nothing!" Nobuyuki straightened up. "He's young. If he doesn't take advantage of such rare and fleeting moments, he'll live to regret it."

"Oh? And what do _you_ regret?" She demanded.

"Certainly not ending up with you as my beautiful, loving wife!" He flashed her a wide grin.

Rea rolled her eyes at her husband before turning to Cupid to give her own advice on the matter. "Cupid, I'll say to you what I would say to my own son once he comes of age. No matter what, try your best to be a gentleman. If you do so, you're bound to end up with the most worthy person for you, and in return you'll be worthy for her because you remained a gentleman."

Cupid gazed at her with admiration. "Those sound like wise words. Thank you, Rea."

She nodded and smiled.

"Don't forget my words either." Nobuyuki insisted, placing his hand on the young man's shoulder. "This is the springtime of your youth!"

"Definitely; I get where you're coming from." Cupid reassured with an awkward chuckle. "Thanks for the advice, Mr. Masaki."

"Oh, Kenshi." Washu summoned the boy, carrying a crate of silver cans in her arms as she stood near the house. Kenshi bounced off to meet with her. Cupid remembered there were a few things he'd been wanting to ask her since the situation with Pegys occurred.

"Please excuse me." He said to Kenshi's parents.

"Of course. I hope we meet again." Replied Rea as Nobuyuki nodded in concurrence.

As Cupid walked over, he saw Washu set down the case of cans and hand one over to Kenshi. She was in the middle of explaining something.

"Remember: take one of these every day and I promise you'll start to see the results before long." She instructed.

"Really? Can I take one right now?" Kenshi questioned eagerly.

"Go for it!"

"What's that?" Cupid questioned as he came to join them.

Washu looked up at him. "They're just a little nutritional supplement I concocted." She said, proudly.

"They're energy drinks!" Kenshi added.

"Seriously? I think the last thing you need is more energy." Cupid stated.

Kenshi took a sip from the can. "Hey, it's good!" With that, he started to chug it down.

"Washu, what's in that stuff?" Cupid questioned, deeply curious.

"Mostly natural ingredients that you can find in the average forest; herbs and such. It makes a very effective elixir that heals a wide range of ailments." She answered. "Kenshi, why don't you go make sure to say goodbye to everyone before they leave?"

"Ok!" He happily obliged before running back toward the others.

Cupid eyed her suspiciously. "You used the word 'mostly'. What else is in it?"

She watched after Kenshi as he dashed away. Once the little boy was far enough, she turned to look at Cupid. "You are." She answered.

"What do you mean by that?" He demanded, disturbed by the notion.

"It's not as vulgar as it sounds." Washu explained. "Back when I examined you, I took a blood sample, as you'll recall. Extracting DNA from that, I noticed that except for a few abnormal chromosomes, you're molecular construct is nearly identical to the average human body. This led me to wonder if a being of normal human ability could inherit some of your powers if those abnormal chromosomes were introduced into their body. Initially, that theory turned out to be negative."

"The short version, Washu…" Cupid prompted, not liking what he'd heard thus far.

"I synthesized those chromosomes, succeeding in creating a version that can be integrated into a body through simple ingestion. In simulated testing, it proved to be too much for a normal human body to process. However, it should work for Kenshi, given the unique nature of his lineage."

"Wait a minute. So, you're giving away my powers like candy?"

"No." Washu denied. "I mean, not exactly. I was only able to achieve a five percent yield in my synthesis of the chromosomes. If my theory holds true, he'll only be capable of a very small amount of your abilities. I'm not yet sure of which but I do know they'll be greatly diminished by comparison."

Cupid shook his head, disappointedly. "You're not getting the point… When I told you it was ok for you to examine me that didn't mean you had my permission to do whatever you wished with my DNA. You used me…"

"Cupid, no sweetie, I… I didn't think—"

"What? You didn't think I deserved to know you were going to make me into an 'energy drink'?"

She looked at him, not knowing what to say at first. "You're right." She said finally, lowering her head. "I didn't have your permission to do this. I'm sorry, ok? Sometimes I lose myself in an idea and neglect etiquette. Please don't be mad at me."

He could see that her remorse was genuine. It also frustrated him that she was so cute and diminutive, making it difficult for him to dole out the scolding she deserved. He sighed in capitulation. "This is really going to help the kid?"

"More than you know…" She replied. "And not just to keep up with all of us here. I think Kenshi's life is going to be full of difficulties. He needs all the help he can get."

"Full of difficulties?" asked Cupid. "Isn't that a bit pessimistic?"

"Haven't you noticed? All the people in Tenchi's life have an unusual story; even the ones you'd least expect. Me, you, Sasami… Even Kenshi's mother isn't what she seems."

Cupid peeked back over his shoulder at the dark haired women who seemed quite docile and average, wondering what Washu could mean.

"I'm sure they'll be a day when Kenshi steps into his own unusual story." The professor continued. "I just want him to be ready for it."

"If that's the case…" said Cupid. "I'm not saying its right what you did but… I hope it helps."

Washu smiled at him. "Thank you."

"Cupid! Come on, it's time to go!" Yugi called out from the dock as she and Sasami waved him over.

"Never keep a young lady waiting." advised the professor. "See you soon on Jurai."

It seemed what he originally came to ask her would have to wait another time. "Yeah, I'll see you, Little Washu."

Cupid walked over to the dock and joined the girls. "Cool, you're riding with us, huh?" He questioned to Ryo-Ohki who stood between Yugi and Sasami.

"Miya!" She replied, nodding in affirmation.

He looked over to his right to find Kenshi standing there rigidly like a cadet ready for duty.

"Kenshi, get over here…" Tenchi groaned.

"Aw man." The little boy slumped in disappointment. "I never get to do anything fun…" He stomped away in a tantrum.

"We'll rendezvous in Earth's orbit." Instructed Seto. "Once all ships are accounted for, I'll lead us through the checkpoints all the way to Jurai."

"Got it." Sasami affirmed. "Everyone ready?" She asked looking left and right.

"Ready." Cupid replied.

Yugi nodded.

"Miya."

A beam of light shot out from Tsunami-fune and they ascended through its azure ray toward the ship together.


End file.
